Guardian Angel
by Getsunohimesama
Summary: Everyone has a story, but don't usually get to tell it after death. Or after a quick trip to the Shadow Realm...My name is Amane Bakura and this is my tale. Sequel to "My Brother's Keeper".
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**A/N: This story is a sequel to "My Brother's Keeper". You don't have to read it first, but it will definitely make some things clearer and easier to understand. R&R, constructive criticism accepted with strawberry cheesecake, flames are used to burn the flamer.**

The spirit was right. When you are in the Shadow Realm, time is just a word with no concept. I didn't know how long I was here. As far as I was concerned, it was an eternity. The spirit of the Puzzle had said that I would understand little to nothing of what was happening to me. That I would be okay.

He was wrong. It was not okay. How the hell could I be okay _here_? I was cold but in all honesty, I was used to it by now. What I could not get used to were the nightmares. I was asking myself again and again, was my brother really worth it? I had seen my worst fears come true and I had experienced all the hurt and pain these nightmares could bring me. I felt my soul slowly slipping; I knew I was losing myself to the darkness. Just another soul among so many though. And I kept asking myself, was my brother really, truly worth it? All of this… this torture, was he worth it?

I am Bakura Amane. I have given up my soul to the Shadow Realm to save my brother's. Now he could be happy and away from the spirit of the Ring. Ryou was now safe. So the answer was obvious.

Yes. Every bit of it.

* * *

The energy I suddenly felt was unimaginable. Everything was so unchanging here that for such a strong force to appear was weird.

You see, although I must have been here for a pretty long time, I never felt anything. I am sure that I was not the last person to come down here so it was highly unlikely that something trivial would be able to cause such uproar. But I continued my sleep, not allowing it to faze me. I would be locked away in the Shadow Realm for a long, long,_ long_ time, so there was no point in dwelling so much on it. It was not the last time I would sense such strong energy I was sure. And it was definitely not the first.

I felt my anger rising and I immediately tried to subdue my rage. The Shadows were feeding off of these things so it would be better not to attract them to me more than necessary. But still. I had ended up here because of creatures that could wield this kind of power. Because of Bakura and his madness. And because of the spirit of the Puzzle and his inability to protect me and my brother.

Now I was curious though. Someone with the same energy as the two spirits of the Millennium Items paying us a visit was not a normal occurrence. I tried to focus there but I was unable to understand what was going on. Maybe it was the spirit of the Puzzle. He was the only remaining one with one of these accursed things since Bakura was vacationing here with me. Have I told you how much I like the fact that he is here too? It feels so good that I could dance. If I was able to move that is.

But as I said before, no reason to dwell on such matters. They were none of my concern, not anym-

"Wake up Amane."

You've got to be kidding me. That voice could belong to only one person. Ha-ha Shadow Realm.

"Amane there is no time for this! Open your eyes!"

I would happily do it, just so I could punch that fucking hallucination in the face. I couldn't even open my mouth to say to it exactly where it could go. Such a fine opportunity lost. Oh well.

"Amane!"

"What the hell do you- "I screamed. I screamed when I understood I have just talked, I screamed more when I understood I could scream out loud and I screamed even more when I saw who was standing next to me.

* * *

The spirit looked at me concerned and a bit amused.

"Are you done? There really is no time for th-"

"Oh but I am not done. Can you give me a minute?"

"We don't have a min-"

I slapped him hard. I don't remember the last time I had so much fun. He looked at me shocked.

"You bloody bastard, who the bugger do you think you are to show your face I front of me! I swear if you weren't already dead I would tear out your intestines and shove them up your-"

"The spirit of the Ring is back."

That did the job and shut me up.

"Back? He lost the Shadow Game. He is trapped here for eternity. Just like someone else I know." I could not resist rubbing it in his face one more time. You can't blame me. I'm dead. And I am in the Shadow Realm. And in all honesty, that look of guilt in his face was well worth a victory dance.

"He escaped. I need your help; it's the only chance to save my friends and your brother. Also, there is a chance I might be able to get you out, by sending Bakura here."

"_Out_? How?"

"No time. Even I can't manipulate it for that long. Come with me." He grabbed my hand and we were instantly transported to another part of the Shadow Realm. The only difference was that our backrounds was now blue, black and full of Shadows instead of black and full of _attacking, soul-devouring _Shadows. And there was a makeshift Duel Monsters arena with a frozen Bakura and… were those things Yugi and his friends inside the board? All four of them, including Yugi himself, in tiny-weenie versions of themselves and all dressed up for Halloween.

I had been in this situation before. So, I could pretty much understand what was happening. Seriously, was that the only plan Bakura could come up with? So much for being a villain…

"Remember. You must not let him know I brought you here. Also he will probably be able to see you so don't be surprised and when the time comes you will know what to do."

I nodded. "You better get me out of here or so help me spirit, I will tear your ears off. With my teeth." He looked at me strange but otherwise nodded in agreement. And then everything began to move.

* * *

What's the first reaction you have when somebody appears out of nowhere in front of you? Well, let me tell you that it's not this:

"AH! A second Bakura?! With _boobs_?!"

"JOEY!" screamed Tea and struck him in the gut with her staff.

"Who are you?" asked Yugi, dressed in a purple costume with a pointy hat and a green staff in his hand.

"I am Bakura Amane. Ryou's twin sister." I looked at Joey, who gulped. "I will kill you in your sleep." He squealed and hid behind Tea who smacked him again.

"You! How did you…?" I looked at Bakura, who looked like he had seen a ghost. (Get it? Huh? Ghost?)

"Hello Bakura! Long time, no see huh?" I said smiling sweetly at him. Of course, my inner greeting was far from sweet. But since this fanfic is rated T I can't say it.

"But how… What are you doi-"

"I'm just here for the food." I interrupted him so that we could go on with this game and I could get out of Ponyland. I sat down, but I was not able to take a look into neither if their cards. Oh well.

"Let us continue our Game. Make your move." said the spirit. Bakura's attention snapped back to the game and he smirked.

"Oh I'll move. And you will lose. This is the play that'll give me the match and will win me your Millennium Puzzle."He slammed a card on the board and it appeared on the field. "First I will play the Lady of Faith in attack mode. And then the card that will turn your friends against one another. The Change of Heart." He said and showed us a card with a girl that was holding a heart in her hands and had one angel wing and one demonic.

"The Change of Heart?! Isn't that Bakura's favorite card?" asked Yugi.

"And a very magical card it is. With this card I can turn you against your comrades. The very friends you sought to protect, you will now destroy." The spirit's expression hardened.

"No, I refuse!" said Yugi angrily.

"You won't have a choice in the matter. The Change of Heart allows me to control any opposing monster. And I choose you little Yugi." The spirit of the Puzzle was about to lunge at Bakura. But aside from this, I really don't think he could do much more.

"Leave the young one out of this!" he shouted. Yeah, like that ever works.

"Why should I? By simply destroying him, I defeat you as well. You are here to try to protect him? Then protect him against this!" he said and placed the card on the board. It shined and Yugi covered his eyes.

"Yugi!" shouted everyone. He uncovered his eyes.

"It's Bakura!"

"Bakura!" repeated everyone. Was there an echo in here?

"Ryou…" I whispered. But now was not the time. I had to trust that Ryou knew what he had to do.

"Aman-"

"Not now!" I shouted and in less than a second, I summoned the power of our bond, engulfing both of us in its warm light. "Go!"

"Alright!" he said and quickly flied to Bakura's Lady of Faith. "We want to help but we must act quickly Yugi!" The monster shivered and Ryou appeared in its place. "I've taken over one of _his_ cards instead of yours! I will control her while you attack _me_! That way you will win against the evil Bakura!" Wait _what_? I hadn't signed up for this! Ryou was to be protected at all costs! Bakura was in a similar state of shock, although I doubt it was because he cared about Ryou.

"But I can't! I will be destroying you, sending you to the Graveyard!"

"He is right! Please Ryou!" I said, releasing the energy, but from the moment he took control of the card, it was over. Ryou's eyes were determined and in them there was a fire I had never seen before.

"I don't care! It's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit! DO IT!"

"NO!" I screamed.

"Be quiet!" shouted Bakura. I was about to jump at him when the spirit talked.

"I have a better idea." He said, the Eye of Horus shining on his forehead along with the Puzzle. The light hit straight on Bakura and made him scream. "If the evil power of Bakura's Millennium Ring can pull souls _from_ people, then perhaps the power of my Puzzle can put them back!"

And just like that, Ryou was now the one sitting in Bakura's place and Bakura was a monster wearing a hat twice his head. I'm telling you, bad time to not have a camera…

"This can't be!" shouted Bakura enraged. I stared at him for a second and then started laughing almost hysterically, pointing at him with my finger.

"Girl! You will pay dearly for this!" he said, furious. I kept laughing, not able to stop. I had braced myself, but now even in my own ears my laughter sounded crazy and psychotic. The others were staring at me scared, the spirit of the Puzzle said nothing and Bakura growled, which made me laugh even harder. I have no idea how long I would have kept laughing either, if not for Ryou. He embraced me and held me tightly in his chest.

"Hush Amane, it's okay now, hush little one…" he whispered over and over stroking my hair as my laughter turned to sobs.

I heard the spirit of the Puzzle say something but I did not care. Ι was with my brother at last, able to see and hear him after so long… Then I heard Bakura scream and I felt another big blast of energy.

And then, Ryou was not there anymore and I was sitting on my butt on the grass. I could feel the breeze.

I was out.

* * *

I looked around me as the others started to wake up. I was out of the Shadow Realm!

"Alright! Ryou we are out!" I said, running to him, trying to hug him again. I had missed him so much!

So you can probably understand my shock when I passed right through him and ended up on the ground in a facedown position. Not exactly the best moment of my lif- death. Anyway. I stood up and brushed myself, though there really was no dirt to be brushed. The spirit of the Puzzle was there, arms crossed and staring at me. I swear, no matter what, that guy still looks damn cool. I walked to him and standed in front of him, not paying attention to the others. He was not all that tall, so we were almost on the same height. He was taller than me for a few inches only.

"Am I really out of the Shadow Realm?" I demanded. I was pretty sure we were, but better safe than sorry.

He nodded. "Yes, we are out indeed."

"And Bakura will not return again?"

"That I don't know. He escaped once, so it's not impossible to do so again. However, if that ever happens, you must come straight to me and tell me. He is not someone we can act carelessly around."

"Yeah, no kidding. I think though that if he does come back he will have my ass for that. Hell, _I_ would have my ass if I was in his shoes. Which, come to think of it is not possible. I mean, how could I have my ass? I already have my ass! It's mine damn it!" I shouted enraged. The spirit looked at me unsure of what to do.

"Do you feel alright?" I looked at him with a huge grin on my face and poked him in the stomach, causing him to look at me strangely. Stranger than before, that is.

"I am out of the Shadow Realm! _Of course_ I am not alright! I'm great! I feel perfect!" I shouted. And I did. I could jump around singing and I could talk and scream and _feel_… I abruptly stopped grinning and I turned at him feeling immense guilt for the way I had talked to him back in the Shadow Realm.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked looking confused.

"You know. For the way I spoke to you. When you… uh… you know. When you woke me up…"

"Oh. It's okay. I understand."

I facepalmed. Was that guy for real? "I told you that I would shove your intest-"

"I know what you told me. But as I said forget about it. After all I deserved it." He said, looking ashamed, which made me feel even more awful. He had done all he could to help Ryou and here I was, wishing him eternal torture. Among many other things may I add.

"No you didn't. And I am truly sorry. You are a good guy."

"Thank you, that means a lot."

We stayed in silence for a moment, when suddenly a scream was heard from the forest. Wait- _forest_? Huh. You would have thought that I would have noticed a difference between Domino City and a forest. I mean, it's not like it's something that you have to try to notice or something…Where were we anyway?

"What was that!?" I said turning to the direction the scream had come from. The others had already left though and I followed suit, running after them.

We reached a place where a big…machine…thingy was, along with one blond girl and a guy that reminded me of that clown in the horror movie "It" or whatever. Ryou had seen that movie once. I was so scared that I was not able to go near any sort of basin for some time. I still shivered, in all honesty. Freaky clown. Anyway.

"Mai! Are you okay?" shouted Yugi.

"You are too late." She said, causing them all to come to a halt. I, of course, did not notice that, so I fell on Joey. Or I_ would_ have fallen on Joey, if I wasn't a freakin ghost. This means that, for a second time this night, I was facedown on the ground. Way to start my first day out of the Shadow Realm, let me tell you…

"Too late for what?" asked Tea worried.

"Is dat freak givin' ya a hard time?" said Joey angry.

"That's right. Just like Pegasus pays me to do. Find out all the dueling filth on the island and dispose of it."

"Doesn't that make you a garbage man?" asked Tristan. I laughed.

"This is no joke!" I beg to differ. "He is one of the island's eliminators and if you don't get out of here he is gonna do to you what he did to me!" said the girl. Mai, I think was her name. Just what was going on? Was this guy dangerous?

"Eliminator? What's that Mai?" asked Yugi. Oh right. Let's chat with the freakin It here. The clown grabbed her hand violently and raised it so that all of us could see it. She gasped. She was wearing a red glove that, come to think of it, was the same one Yugi and Joey were wearing.

"Look! This is what she means, right here. Check out her duelist's glove, not a star chip left!" Am I the only one finding something really wrong about this picture?

"But that would mean she's been disqualified!" said Tea.

"You're out Mai?" asked Yugi, looking shocked. A sad look came on her face.

"I am." she said. "It all happened so fast! The way Panic duels…I just… lost it." she looked down ashamed. Just wait a moment… were we talking about _Duel Monsters_? All of this fuss over a children's card game?!

"This isn't right." murmured Tea. I agree. It's degrading. We are talking about a freakin children's card game!

"Ha! She was one of my easiest victims yet!" said Panic mockingly and pushed her hard toward us, almost causing her to fall. Well, well, looks like someone must have a couple of lessons over proper behaviour around a lady. And if I had any say on the matter, a big metal pipe on his head.

"You creep!" shouted Joey and made to attack him. Tristan and Ryou held him back. Good thing too, cause that clown was sure to turn him into a big broken pile of flesh. And that is so not cool. "Move it! There is no excuse for pushing a girl!" he said, fighting against them. He was right, but I swear, if I see so much as a scratch on Ryou because of him…

"Calm down Joey, I know how you feel but that guy is twice your size!" Ryou tried to reason with him. Huh. That sounded like saying "vegeterian T-Rex".

"I could take him." he insisted.

"No Joey, fists aren't the answer. Violence won't solve anything. I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my life and I am afraid there is just one way to deal with him." said Yugi suddenly. Wow. I forgot he was here. He started walking to Panic.

"What do you mean?" asked Joey. Oh, but that's an easy one my friend. He will wipe the floor with your face, that's what he means. Thank God Yugi was a reasonable person.

"You have to stand up to them!" he said. You know what? Scratch that last one. I was the _only_ reasonable person. The Puzzle glowed and the spirit was there in Yugi's place.

"But Yugi…" Mai started to say.

"Now let's see you try your intimidation tactics against _me_ Panic! I don't scare easy, especially when I am standing up for my friends!" he interrupted Mai too. I swear, there is not one single gentleman's bone among all those apes.

"So let's duel!"

**A/N: Next chapter, Yugi's duel with It- I mean Panic. Don't forget, all who review get strawberry cheesecake! Hope ya liked it! Also, special thanks to DarkSideOfTheLight for helping me with the summary! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I would like to thank the Guest who reviewed my story. I would thank him/her personally but since I cannot… well thank you! :D **

**Today's review reward contains chocolate cake with nuts! (If you don't like nuts then you review for free...)**

**Last but not least, I think you must know that the duels will not be presented in their entirety since Amane is not all that interested if it is not something important… **

They moved to the machine that was in the middle of…wherever we were and, to my surprise, when they stepped on the two platforms, they started rising till they reached what I assume to be the highest point.

"Alright Yugi, no prob! Show Panic here how we deal with dogs like him!" shouted Joey encouragingly.

"Yugi huh? This must be my lucky day! Pegasus has promised a generous bounty to the eliminator who defeats you." said Panic, sounding pretty sure about his victory. "I wonder… Think he's going to give some extra cash for inflicting bodily harm? Not that I wouldn't do it for free…" The spirit however didn't seem to be all that worried, in fact I would say he was bored. Which is strange, taking into consideration the fact that a guy four or five times his size was openly threatening to beat him up.

"You better start thinking of other ways to make money Panic, because after I get done with you, not only will you be out some star chips, but you'll be out of the job." Yes, way to go spirit. Threaten him a bit. See if he beats you to a pulp or just breaks your neck. Because I'm telling you, no way it ends with a Duel Monsters match.

"Who said I was an eliminator just for the money Yugi? I have made enough cash to have retired long ago! But I won't quit, because there is no other thrill than breaking weak duelists like you! So get ready Yugi! I am about to take you in a world of hurt!"

Oh right. He is not just a freaky clown. He is a _sadistic_ freaky clown who enjoys winning in a card game more than anything. I do wonder which psychiatric clinic he escaped from, I really do. What I wonder more about though is _why_ this psycho is _paid_ to wander around like everything's fine. And who is this Pegasus guy?

"…by the likes of you Panic!" spirit was saying. What was with the insults? Because if he isn't a kung fu master or something, I really think we will need an ambulance and soon. "I play with my heart. That's why I always win against your type!"

"You never faced my type before. When I am in a match with someone, there is much more than sheer dueling strategy…"

"Meaning?"

"Panic is ruthless Yugi!" shouted Mai. "He had me totally terrified!" And for a good reason too. For the love of God, does anyone here have the slightest sense of the danger they are in? Or basic intelligence for that matter…

"That's right and she is not the first either! We eliminators built our career of stalking weak players like her and forcing them to duel us! You see, when you are as good as I am, you learn to appreciate the hunt as much as the duel itself! And now I'm gonna take you down just like I did Mai!" You know it is indeed a pity that straitjackets are not considered a necessary trip supply like the tents are… After a short time with Yugi and his friends, I do consider them as important as food.

"I see how you work Panic!" said the spirit smirking. "Sneaking up on unsuspecting duelists because you don't have the courage to challenge them face to face!"

"Watch your mouth you insolent cub!"

"True duelists fight with honor and respect, not the under tactics that the likes of you use. And to prove it, I wager all the star chips I have to win back Mai's!"

Panic gritted his teeth. "It's a deal. If you win, I'll give you all eight of her star chips! The bet makes no difference to me!"

The spirit seemed taken aback. "What do you mean?!"

"What I mean little Yugi, is that when you duel against Panic, you put much more than your measly star chips on the line! Much more!" and suddenly columns of flame came out of nowhere and surrounded him. What the hell, the freak is serious! Why isn't anyone stopping the game? What are they doing just standing there!

Panic laughed. "What's the matter Yugi? Can't take the heat? Get used to it because you are stuck in for the long ride!"

"Take those off Panic!" shouted Joey. I was seriously worried about both Yugi and the spirit now. I didn't get what was going on in general, sure, but this thing was too much. That psycho is taking it too far. Why isn't anyone calling the police?

"Panic used those on me too…" said Mai quietly. I turned at her pissed. So he used them on you too huh? And you couldn't say anything before? Like, I don't know, _watch out for the flamethrowers?_

"Stay strong Yugi…"murmured Ryou. I turned to look at him. He had changed so much… He seemed a bit taller and his facial characteristics had lost much of their childishness. But what struck me harder, was the seriousness and sadness that were in his eyes. I felt ready to cry, knowing that Bakura, after escaping the Shadow Realm had shown no mercy on him for foiling his plans. And what was worse was that it was my fault. Had I not accepted to help the spirit, Bakura would have won the Game and I would still be there, not forced to go. And maybe, just maybe, after taking his revenge for whatever reason against the spirit, Bakura would go away and Ryou and I could be happier… How could I risk Ryou like that, just taking the chance to get rid of Bakura, not thinking of the consequences that were sure to come, had the spirit failed to defeat him! And even after the spirit won, Bakura still came back, making Ryou pay for something that was in truth my entire fault… And while Ryou suffered I could do absolutely nothing…

I quickly forced down the sob that was about to escape me and focused back on Yugi and Panic. What's done is done and no amount of whining would change the past. Now they both had five cards in their hands, making me understand that the game was on.

"Seeing how the blaze of my fire didn't faze you, let's turn down the lights! My castle of dark illusions will turn this duel into your darkest hour Yugi! Its magic shrouds the field with a veil of shadows!" I tuned out the rest as I watched in awe a castle appearing out of nowhere, a dark aura surrounding it. Suddenly my breath stopped.

Shadows, true Shadows were coming off of this thing. I took a step back, absolute horror filling my head and, although it was impossible, I was almost sure I could listen to my heart pounding in my chest. How could he summon the Shadows here?

Panic laughed, forcibly turning my attention back to the duel. "You would be if you knew… The fearsome nightmares within its shape! The blanket of shadows casted over my entire side of the field, making it impossible for you to see the creatures I summon, but leaves your entire side exposed!" A whimper escaped me as the Shadows started to spread, covering Panic entirely. Fear had settled in my whole body and I wanted to run but couldn't just like when I was in the Shadow Realm… Nightmares I had experienced flashed before my eyes. For a second I could see Ryou lying dead right in front of me and the next I could hear my bones breaking, the same noise I heard the day I died. And then I heard Panic's voice again, only it was not Panic's anymore and tears started running down my cheeks.

"How the darkness preys on your fears, on your mind and you are too scared, too terrified to fight!"

"Please stop it…" I whispered as I took my head in my hands. He started laughing and that was the final blow. I turned around and started running away, not truly caring where I was going, getting away from the Shadows was enough…

* * *

Once I couldn't run any longer, I sat under a tree and tried to clear my head, which resulted in more sobs. I cried for what felt like hours on end, unable to stop.

When I finally regained my senses, I began to understand what I had done. Not only had I run away like a coward, I had also acted like a _selfish_ coward, leaving Ryou and the others to deal with the Shadows.

Come to think of it, how could Panic summon them? I hadn't seen nor sensed any magic, or even any energy coming off of him that indicated such an ability. But that was not important, what mattered was to find Ryou and make sure that he was safe.

I wiped my face in my sleeve, and standed up. My legs felt a bit wobbly but I quickly overcame this and started walking towards the direction that I could feel Ryou's presence. It was a good thing I could always find him or I was sure to get lost. Anyone could understand the reason I don't feel particularly smart at this moment I suppose…

At last I reached their camp. Yugi and Ryou were awake and they were staring at the Millennium Ring. One of its prongs was pointing at a random direction and when I turned my head toward it I saw a castle. I shook my head. I would not question the reason why a castle that looked like it came straight from the Middle Ages was in this place. Nothing and I mean nothing, can possibly make things weirder than they already are.

"Can I ask where you were till now Amane?"

I turned at the sound of the spirit's voice and scowled at him. "I am sorry Mom, it won't happen again."

He chuckled. "As you wish. I was just curious, that's all."

"Hey, that reminds me. How did it go with that freak Panic?"

"I won. A coward with no respect for the heart of the cards could never defeat me."

"He was a coward with flamethrowers." I deadpanned.

"Yes, I noticed. But what matters is that we are all okay now and I really doubt that we will ever hear from him again."

"Did anyone call the police? I really don't think you should risk it like that. The guy was nuts!"

"There will be no need for that. I made sure that he won't hurt anyone ever again."

I froze. Could it be that…? "You sent him to the Shadow Realm?" I asked coldly.

"No. I just crushed the evil in him. It will take time for him to rebuild himself and see the mistakes he did but it will also make him a better person." His eyes softened. "I would never send there someone who does not deserve it. Not anymore." He said and shifted his gaze to the sky, guilt and shame written all over his face. I decided to drop the topic, since it was obvious that it made him feel like an asshole. Though, if he truly sent people in there for no true reason, I would say that he deserved it.

"Where are we anyway? It's pretty obvious we are not in Domino anymore…"

"We are on an island. It is called Duelist Kingdom and it is where the creator of Duel Monsters lives. His name is Pegasus. "

"And why are we here?"

"He took Grandpa's soul. I must defeat him and take it back. I must save him."

I blinked. "Who's Grandpa?"

"Yugi's Grandpa. Pegasus took his soul to force Yugi to compete in his tournament."

"All of this commotion for a card game tournament?" I asked shocked. Was everyone involved in this thing a total psycho? I mean, who goes that far for a children's card game? It has to be the water. That's the only explanation. They put something in the water to make everyone an absolute Duel-Monsters-obsessed zombie! That's it!

"I am sure it's not about that. There has to be something that Pegasus wants from us. There is no other reason to go to such lengths to ensure that Yugi would come here."

"Oh. Well that makes a lot more sense. But how could that Pegasus dude remove a soul from its body? I mean except the obvious way…" There goes my theory about dueling zombies…

"He could do it with ease since he owns a Mill-"

The spirit was interrupted by a sudden, extremely loud noise. I looked around and my jaw dropped when I saw that, of all things, a helicopter had landed right next to our camp. Seriously, who does that? The spirit vanished and I ran up to Ryou. They all gathered behind Yugi and we waited for the person inside to appear.

* * *

When the door opened, a distinctly familiar guy jumped out of it. He was tall, with brown hair and he was wearing a blue long trench coat. He was also holding a silver briefcase. I had seen this guy before, if I could just put my finger on it…

"It's Kaiba!" said Tea surprised. Yeah, I am pretty sure I know that name…

"What is he doing here?" asked Joey, clearly not amused to see him.

"I don't know. But he looks like he means business…"  
said Tristan.

Yugi ran up to him and started talking to him, though I could not listen to what they were saying and frankly, I could care less. I looked around bored and waited for this to end so that I could ask the spirit everything I wanted to. I smirked. Someone was in for a sleepless night. Not that there was much night left. With the whole Panic thing and now this… Let's just say that I truly hope they packed some coffee.

"That snobby little…" growled Joey and then ran to Kaiba. He grabbed him from his coat collar. "Hey, listen tough guy! I can understand you wanting to get your little bother back ya know, but don't go thinkin that you are the only one here with a noble cause, 'cause we all here have something worth fighting for! So if you want a piece of Pegasus get in line or deal with me! That's right hotshot, I ain't scared of ya!" I really like the guy but sometimes he is just begging for trouble. That Kaiba kid really looks tough. And a bit scary. Kaiba caught his hand.

"Nice grip. Let me show you mine." He said and gripped Joey's hand hard enough that he cringed in pain. See? That's what I am talking about. Kaiba threw Joey down with ease.

"That was uncalled for!" shouted Ryou as Yugi went to check on Joey. "Check his pulse Yugi!" I looked at Ryou like he was crazy. He just threw him down, he didn't stab him! I swear, sometimes I wonder how someone like me could be his twin…

To everyone's and especially Kaiba's surprise, Joey standed up. Wow, that guy has it in him doesn't he?

"Do you really think I'm gonna let you and this little tournament delay me from finding Pegasus?" asked Kaiba annoyed.

If there is one thing I've learned today is that this Pegasus has no friends. Seriously, everyone seems to hate him.

"Forget Pegasus! Now ya got me to deal with so bust out your cards and let's get it on!" He is so dead. And judging from the comments Tristan and Tea made, I was not the only one believing this.

"Forget it. Why don't you go look for an opponent you can actually beat. Like an infant. Or a monkey." That seemed to anger Joey even more, but I stopped paying attention anyway. They would insult one another for a bit more and then someone would end up beaten to a pulp. Most likely Joey, seeing how easily Kaiba took him down before. I walked to a tree and sat down, waiting for them to get it over with.

I was staring at the sky but since it was still only a bit after midnight, it was as dark as they come. I quickly shifted my gaze elsewhere, not really wanting to stare at the sky anymore. I had seen enough black to last me a lifetime. I was lost in my thoughts, when suddenly a strong light seemed to come out of the ground, right in front of Joey and the others. I quickly stood up and went next to Ryou. Just when I reached him though, something came out of the light and I screamed.

Because right there in front of me was standing a cow with armor and an axe! And the weirdest thing was that nobody seemed to be doing something to get away from that thing!

"No way! That's a hologram?!" asked Yugi shocked. I looked back at it surprised. A _hologram_? Is he kidding?

"A hologram of unsurpassable realism! It breaths, it snarls, my new dueling disk technology even simulates its odor!"

"You are tellin me. That thing really stinks!" I never thought that I would ever say that, but Joey was right. "Good thing it won't be around for much longer!" He placed a card on his… dueling disk and he summoned his own monster which was almost instantly creamed by Kaiba's. I watched in awe as they dueled. Kaiba was undeniably better than Joey and he won without breaking a sweat. By the end of the duel, I was amazed by the extreme quality of the holograms but I was also curious about a feeling that appeared only for a second or two, but it was still there. When Kaiba summoned his Blue Eyes White Dragon, I am almost positive that I felt _someone_ there. It was gone so fast though that it might be nothing more than my imagination. Oh well.

Joey was on his knees, obviously not going through the happiest moment of his life. And the fact that Kaiba was making a joke out of his defeat, made nothing better. What a brat. I really wish I could kick this punk's butt so hard he would be unable to sit for a while. Or for a long time, no problem with that either. At last the others came to stand next to him.

"It's okay kiddo." Tea said sweetly at him.

"I'd say my duel disk system has proven quite effective. Not only did its stunning realism forced Joey into complete and utter submission, but just look at him! He's moping like a frightened dog with his tail between his legs. Which is exactly how I intent to leave Pegasus."

"But… this is Joey!" murmured Yugi.

"Yeah you jerk! Did you have to take his confidence away with his dragon?" asked Tea. I tuned out the rest and walked back to the tree I was sitting before. Whatever was going on here, it sure was no good. And as for Kaiba… I don't know what's up with him, but I really wish that someone would teach him a lesson. We had all seen how easily he defeated Joey; there was no need for him to rub it in the poor guy's face. Man, what a night…

Then it struck me what a long night this one truly was. I was out of the Shadow Realm, Yugi had dueled with a freaky clown and there was also Joey's duel with Kaiba! And all of these things in the span of a few hours. It had seemed so much longer before…

* * *

Kaiba was gone and the others were now asleep. The spirit had come out and chatted with me for a while, mainly about the duel that had taken place between him and Panic. I felt so stupid for allowing myself to show so much weakness, especially after learning that these machines they had dueled on were in fact Duel Arenas and all the creatures that appeared on it were nothing but holograms. It's funny, because, out of me and Ryou I always considered myself the strongest one. And yet, mere holograms had made me shake in fear and cry like a child… how pitiful.

Neither of us said anything for a while, we just looked at the others who were asleep. I sat next to Ryou and the spirit made his way to Yugi, presumably to go back to the Puzzle. Sheer terror washed over me in the prospect of being alone again. I didn't want to. But what should I do? I couldn't ask the spirit to stay with me, he surely was tired from the whole ordeal and I doubted that he wanted to spend the night in my delightful company. I mean, I _had_ told him that I would do some really bad things to his intestines after all… but I'm dead. So it's not my fault.

I tried to keep a straight face and wished him goodnight. But I suppose that my straight face wasn't so straight after all since, after giving me a look, his eyes softened.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No, of course not. What gave you that idea? I don't mind being alone! In fact, alone is my second name! That's right; you are talking to Amane Alone Bakura. See? I like alone! In fact-"

He chuckled and sat across me. "I think that I'll stay right here tonight." He said. I felt so relieved that it kind of surprised me, but I was not about to admit that. I huffed and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"Yeah, but not because of me. I totally don't mind being alone."

"Of course." he replied gently. I gazed at the stars for a while, saying nothing. And then it hit me.

"Spirit?"

He turned his head and looked at me questioningly.

"What's your name? I really doubt it's "spirit"."

He said nothing; he just turned his head to the direction of the forest.

"I don't know." he whispered finally, so quietly, that I almost didn't hear him.

"What do you mean you don't know? You don't have one?" I asked confused.

"I mean I don't know. I don't remember anything from my past. My memories begin the day Yugi solved the Puzzle and awakened me."

Way to go Amane. Congratulations. Now find something else that can hurt him and ask it. I'm telling you, Shadow Realm totally had an impact on my intelligence.

"So… how things came to… you know… this."I asked, curious but also trying to change the topic as fast as possible.

"What do you mean?"

"You know… the whole tournament thing. And what about this Pegasus guy?"

"It's a long story."

"We have time. Unless of course you want to go to sleep. Because you should know that I don't mind."

He sighed. "You sure don't quit easy."

So, for the rest of the night, I listened to the story of how this whole madness started, about Pegasus taking Grandpa's soul, about Yugi being forced to compete in the Duelist Kingdom tournament, how Joey ended up competing along with Yugi and everything that transpired until I got out of the Shadow Realm. And I have only one thing to say about all this.

What has Ryou gotten me and himself into?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… for now. **

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving my American friends… in America! For this chapter only, we are not allowed to write in anything but American. Eat a big portion out of your American food and one more for this poor authoress who isn't American and has to wait for Christmas… **

**See? That's why I am gonna destroy you all… in America.**

The night –or what was left of it- passed quickly, but the morning found me with most of my questions answered. I now understood why everyone seemed to hate Pegasus. In all honesty, I don't like him all that much either. However, I had also learned some more things about the others too.

Joey was someone I could relay to a little bit. He was determined to shield his sister from harm's way the same way I was determined to keep Ryou safe and happy. He was acting like a goofball most of the time and many, me included, would easily consider him weak. But knowing his back-story and his reason for fighting, it was obvious that there was a rare strength in him.

Tea seems like an okay person and all, but I don't see anything special to her, at least not yet. I also have a sneaking suspicion that a certain someone is in love with her, but, when I asked the spirit if Yugi had a crush on Tea, he looked at me blankly for a while and then looked genuinely offended, answering that Yugi would never hurt Tea, or anyone else. As you can guess, that caused me to slap my forehead and give him a glance full of pity, which only caused him to get more confused.

Tristan was… well he was Tristan. I guess there is nothing else to be said. And as for Miho… when I asked the spirit where she was, he asked me _who_ she was. If he was that confused when I asked about her… I can easily imagine his answer about the rest. And frankly it didn't matter at all.

The sun started to rise and I stopped in the middle of yet another question to watch it. I always liked the sunrise, never being much of a night person. Nothing could destroy that moment when the sun comes out to illumin-

"Aaaahhh!"

Must… not… murder… idiot… Gah, forget it. He is just lucky I can't get my hands on his throat. The spirit chuckled.

"What are _you _laughing about?!" I asked pissed off with both Joey and the spirit. Joey suddenly started shouting another promise of revenge on Kaiba – he had murmured plenty of them during the night- and then woke everyone up.

"Joey! What's going on?" asked Yugi sleepily.

"Yeah, what is it Joey?" Ryou repeated.

"Nothin's wrong! It's just a brand new day in that tournament and I'm hot to find us a duel!" Everyone looked at him in a way that told me that I wouldn't have to murder him myself. Good.

"I should be going now." said the spirit behind me, making me turn to face him. He must be tired.

"Sure. See ya."

He nodded and vanished back to the Puzzle. I sighed and then started walking around, just enjoying the moment. I felt so happy to be able to see the sun and the sky and smell the flowers! I giggled, something I haven't done since before I died. I was just so overwhelmed with emotions for being able to be next to my brother once again and also for being… free, I suppose. Bakura has been part of both our lives for too long and now that he was out of it, Ryou could build a new happier life.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Joey asked about Mai and I saw Tea handing to Yugi a note. I walked to Ryou. I must admit it; he is a magnet for all sorts of trouble so it's better to not leave him by himself for too long.

Yugi read the note and blushed. I bet it's from a girl! I grinned.

"Yugi's got a girlfriend!" I sang in an extremely childish way, pointing at him. Not the most mature behaviour, I know.

"Okay then!" shouted Joey excitedly. "Let's move out!"

* * *

We were walking for a while without anyone saying anything. I was gazing around, enjoying the most beautiful day in my…um…death? Well, anyway, I was having a nice time.

"I wonder…" said Ryou, interrupting my thoughts once again. "How many duelists do you think are left on the island by now?"

"The ship took back a dozen of them yesterday." answered Joey.

"And I'm sure even more have been eliminated by now." Tea stated. The obvious, may I add.

"And some of them were powerful players with really good cards too. We could be next." said Yugi thoughtfully.

"Not a chance Yug. Those other guys just want the prize! You and Joey have a lot more at stake." commented Tristan and I had to agree. Joey was fighting to save his sister from going blind and Yugi for his Grandpa's soul. Unlike me, they could actually do something to protect those they loved. I looked down, feeling a weight in my chest. Suddenly they stopped walking and I saw Joey and Tristan acting like a couple of two-year-olds. Again. Tea stepped in to stop them.

"Hey, you just bring on any duelist! Then I'll cream 'em." said Joey determined, glaring momentarily at Tristan.

"Right! You gotta believe in yourself Joey!" answered Yugi encouragingly, which caused Joey to go back to his overconfident self.

I shook my head. It seemed like this day was gonna be as uneventful as possible a day around these guys can be.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" asked Joey for what must be the millionth time in the last couple of hours. I swear, I'm this close to attempted murder. The sad part is that it will only remain attempted anyway, so I think I will just keep imagining different ways to kill him. It must not be the same but it can satisfy me enough. For now.

"I think we are being followed."

"I think you are getting a little paranoid Joey." said Tea frustrated.

"You've been acting hyper ever since you woke up this morning. Man, what is eating you anyway?" added Tristan.

"I'm tellin ya! Somebody's stalkin' us!" Joey insisted and then took off.

"Where are you going?!" asked Tristan.

"To stalk them!" was the brilliant answer. What an idiot… If there was anyone around, my heightened senses would have picked them up immediately! I am not bragging when I say that nothing can come in ten mile radius from my brother without my knowledge. I am like an oversensitive radar, that I am!

* * *

"Joey's been gone an awfully long time…" said Yugi, obviously worried. And he probably had a right to be. It has been almost an hour since we last saw Joey and knowing him, it probably meant he was in trouble.

"Could he be lost?" asked Tea.

"No way. But he could have been challenged to a duel."

"I bet that's it. I must have been on his case a little too hard so now he's gone off to find a duel all by himself." answered Tristan.

"Okay, so let's split up and find him!" said Ryou. I shot him a dirty look. With his luck he would most likely end up getting lost or falling off of a particularly high cliff. Furthermore, he is still wearing the Millennium Ring. Why would he even do that is beyond me. I mean, he could sell it and would probably get a good prize for it too, but in all honesty, I would fell so much better knowing that it is tied on a giant rock and thrown into the deepest part of the ocean.

"Right! Yugi and Tea, you go that way. Bakura and I will go this way!" said Tristan taking the lead and we ran off in different directions. I sighed and then followed Ryou and Tristan.

* * *

After spending a good hour running around and screaming Joey's name (well the others did-I was just following them and was watching out for cliffs to keep Ryou away from) we eventually met up with Yugi and Tea who had nothing more to offer. Halfway Tristan ditched us and ran up ahead and stopped in front of Tea who had picked something up from the ground. I was panting from all this running, which is weird since my lungs are long gone and buried in a cemetery back in Domino. I stopped a few feet away and placed my hands on my knees trying to calm my breath, when I heard something about checking inside a cave. I felt my eye twitching but before my very special version of what might just happen to their limbs –even Ryou's- if they so much as considered going in could be expressed in a good several-hours- long rant, they did just that. Going in I mean.

"Gah! Wait for me, you bloody twits!" I shouted enraged and followed them inside.

* * *

"What is this place?" asked Tristan. You mean besides a possible death trap that blond clot took us in?

"Be careful. It could be some kind of trap." said Yugi. That guy had a bad habit of stating the obvious. I mean, there are two coffins in the entrance and I bet that if we go a bit deeper in this cave we will probably find the serial killer that goes with them. So I think we all know that this _is_ a trap. _For sure._ Also, it's really dark in here. I prefer to get out and just wait for Joey to come out. If he is in there, that is.

"What's up with those coffins?" said Tea sounding scared.

"Beats me! Who'd leave them just standing here!?" Ryou wondered, putting a hand on one of the coffins. Tea did the same.

"I swear Ryou, if you don't get away from that thing…." I trailed off when I saw the chain that kept the coffin closed start unwrapping itself from it. Oh bugger.

"Stop! Wrap yourself back this instant you bloody bitch!" I yelled. Of course the aforementioned "bloody bitch" payed me no mind, as any logical person would expect a chain to do and unwrapped itself completely. The coffins opened and from them fell off skeletons. That's right. Skeletons. That Pegasus guy either is a maniac, he has a serial killer on his island and doesn't know it or has an extremely sick sense of humor. And based on what I know from the spirit, the second option is not an option.

The skeletons fell on both Ryou and Tea in a morbid hug and they started running around in circles screaming. Now, under any other circumstances I would have been terrified to see Ryou being harassed by a skeleton, but the whole image made me laugh so hard that if any of them could see or hear me, I would get some really strange looks. Eventually, Tristan got rid of Ryou's new friend with a punch and Yugi pulled that thing off of Tea, leaving her shuddering in disgust and fear.

"That Pegasus sure has a sick sense of humor." commented Tristan dryly.

"You said it Tristan." Yugi agreed.

* * *

We went –or should I say, ran- deeper in that cave, leaving behind us any last trace of light. I tried to focus on anything else than the almost absolute darkness around us, though I wouldn't be able to keep that trembling in check for long. The deeper we got, the more I wanted to get out of there. So, I kept thinking anything else, but for how long I could do that… that's a whole other story.

I got more sidetracked than I probably wanted to though, when Ryou got separated from the others. For the love of God, they didn't even take any turns! I don't know how he did it, but leave it to Ryou to do the one most stupid thing that you never expect anyone else to do.

"Guys?" he asked, scared. We kept walking forward, hoping that we would come across the others. Suddenly, I heard Ryou curse and then something big fell on him, causing me to shriek and him to scream bloody murder. He ran to the opposite direction with me hot on his trail.

"Bakura! This way!" we heard Tristan's voice and Ryou went towards it, a skeleton firmly clung on his back.

"Aaaaaaaah! HELP ME!" he screamed. The others freaked out and tried to get away from him, shouting at him to not come any closer.

"AAAAAAAH! GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!"

Eventually, Tristan managed to destroy that bloody skeleton, while the others played dead. If I hadn't been so scared about Ryou I would most likely have been rolling on the floor with laughter. I supported myself on the walls of the cave, catching a little break from all the running. I hate running. After we get out of here I will never run again. I mean, for Heaven's sake I am a bloody ghost! Am I not supposed to be able to do anything without breaking a sweat? I glared at the Puzzle. I bet that berk has been sleeping through all of this. I glared at it harder, hoping to see it go up in flames. Needless to say, nothing happened.

"From now on, don't go picking any hitchhikers." commanded Tristan sternly, crushing the skull under his shoe.

"Is it safe for me to open my eyes now?" asked Tea from her spot on the ground. I shook my head. These guys are trying to have a rescue mission to help Joey? They need rescuing themselves!

"You gave us quite a scare with that skeleton Bakura!" said Yugi, sounding disturbingly okay with it. Is that guy ever angry at anyone? Does he know _how_ to get angry?

"Sorry…"

"Never mind that. Because now we have another problem. Which way do we go now?" Tristan announced seriously, causing us all to turn our heads and face a crossroads. Just great! Truth be told, I was half expecting to see a giant boulder coming at us, so compared to that, the crossroads weren't all that bad…

"Anybody have any ideas?" Yeah, get out of here.

"Gee, both ways look sooo inviting!" said Tea ironically.

"Yeah, but Joey got himself invited in one of those tunnels, so we need to find which one!"

"Tristan's right. We need to find Joey now."

"Yeah!" they shouted all together. However when they standed up, my beloved twin brother stepped on another trap.

"Hey! My foot!" We heard a strange sound and we turned to the direction it was coming from.

"What's that sound?"

"I stepped on a switch or something…"

"Quiet now!" said Yugi.

"Listen, now the sounds getting louder…" God, why must it be so dark in here… We were like sitting ducks, waiting for whatever was in there to come and get us. And we were doing it in the dark. Why couldn't they have a nice, big flashlight with them?

"I think it's coming this way." said Tea.

"Yeah, but just what's coming this way?" asked Yugi no one in particular.

Ryou was shaking in fear, with his hands over his mouth. At this picture, the fierce protectiveness I always felt towards him came rushing back. I stood in front of him determined to do anything to protect him. Then the sound became even louder and we at last were able to see what we were up against.

My eyes widened. Was that….

We all screamed at the same time and took off in a random direction like the devil himself was right behind us. Which he kind of was, in the form of a bloody giant boulder. Me and my big mouth.

"Why is that boulder chasing us?" asked Tea. The most stupid question in the universe, I should add. It was the worst possible scenario. That's why that boulder was chasing us.

"Cause we are downhill!" answered Tristan. Yeah, that one too. But mostly because of what I said.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Ryou kept chanting while running. Yeah, try to tell that to the fuckin boulder when it pulverizes you, you clot!

But then… Ryou tripped.

* * *

"RYOU!" I shrieked, coming to a halt. I watched helpless as that thing run him over, the others turning their heads in time to see it. They screamed his name too, but they could not afford to stop. I stood there frozen. What had just-?

And suddenly, an image of him all bloody and broken came in front of my eyes. I took a step back. Ryou was dead. And it was my entire fault. I couldn't protect him. It would be the same if I just took a knife and plunged it in his heart. I let him die.

I felt the boulder pass through me, but I was staring straight ahead. I wasn't able to move at all, not even my eyes. I didn't want to either. I didn't want to see him all bloody and broken. Never again would I see him like that.

I let my brother die. I killed him. It's all my fault.

Tears sprang to my eyes and I could feel them on my cheeks, but I still couldn't move. I just looked straight ahead. And then I closed my eyes tightly and felt my knees give in. I screamed and then I started to sob.

* * *

I felt someone passing through me and I opened my eyes. Tea had sat on her knees in front of Ryou. I blinked and tried to focus.

"…alright?" Alright? What was she talking about? A boulder had run him over! Ryou was gone! Ryou was-

He was fine. A bit freaked out, but otherwise just fine. How could this be?

I stared in shock. Relief washed over me but that passed soon.

What remained was wrath. I felt my vision blur a bit and all I could see was him. Ryou.

"You bastard..." I whispered. He was alright. I was so _scared_ for him and so _angry_ about myself, so_ desperate_ about what I would do without him and here he was, not so much as a scratch on him. I felt rage running through my veins and at that moment I hated him. I hated Ryou. Because it was his entire fault. Everything I've been through till now was because of him. If not for him I would have moved on with my Mom. I wouldn't be doomed in an empty existence. I wouldn't have become a ghost, just a cold spot, a nothing. I wouldn't have become someone who could only watch, never to be seen or heard.

I would have never been to the Shadow Realm.

"I hate you." I whispered. "I hate you Ryou Bakura. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you with all of my heart." I wanted to hurt him. To rip his head off, to make him experience even an ounce of the pain I had been through because of him. But I couldn't touch him. I couldn't touch even a single hair on his head and I hated him all the more for it.

But maybe I didn't have to touch him. I still had my own power and maybe it was enough.

I summoned the energy of the bond we shared and prepared to strike. It was ironic; the same thing that once protected him would now kill him. I would hit him straight in his heart, causing it to stop. It had to work. It was perfect. Too much love never killed anyone they said. I was about to prove them wrong. The power of love would finish him off. I chuckled and, putting all of my strength in this strike, I pushed the energy towards him. He was even standing still, making it all too easy for me.

* * *

I watched with satisfaction as the energy moved closer to Ryou. Just a bit more and I would be free.

And then the energy dissipated. I looked around, furious at the interference.

The spirit was standing there, with the Eye of Horus shining brightly on his forehead. He was staring at me and he was angry.

"What are you doing Amane?" he asked in a cold, empty voice.

**A/N: Okay, I know that it's a bit late for Thanksgiving but you should know that when I started this chapter it was not. With that settled and with the fact that no one likes chocolate cake with nuts in mind, I offer two chocolate chip cookies to everyone who will review. **

**Also, if you want to ask anything, feel free to PM me. R&R, no flames allowed, hope you enjoyed it! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:** I own nothing.**

**A/N: First of all I would like to thank DarkSideOfTheLight for recommending my stories to so many people. You rock archrival! ;) Also I would like to personally thank: DarkestHour, HeartOfTheDragon, I'mADreamer and SteamPunkGabe for giving my story the time of day. :) Last but not least, all of you who keep my stats rising, although we need a bit of work in the REVIEW department… (glares). **

**Enough with my ranting, on with the story!**

I was furious. Who does that bloody bastard think he is!

I contemplated attacking him but quickly rejected the idea. I was never able to stand up to Bakura in a head to head fight after all and I had a feeling that this bloke was a lot tougher… But it didn't matter any way. Ryou would die. It was all Ryou's fault in the first place after all.

"None of your business, _spirit_. Get out of my way."

"You understand that what you did would kill your brother?" I could see that he was angry, but he was trying to keep it under control. Well, I had to say that, judging by the way he was gritting his teeth and with all this dark energy flaring around him, he wasn't doing much of a job.

"Perfectly. Now get out of my way."

"Answer me first. Why would you do that now?"

"I am not obliged to explain anything to you. You know nothing."

"I thought that Bakura was all that mattered to you!"

"HE MEANS NOTHING TO ME! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!" I shrieked. I was crying again but this time it was out of anger. He couldn't understand, he didn't know how it felt being trapped in there, the feeling of losing all I held dear, my very mind and heart. It was easy to judge, to play high and mighty when he had never suffered the consequences of losing a Shadow Game. In the beginning I felt like quite the noble soul, taking it upon me to protect Ryou from this place and all, but really, how long can someone last? No matter the circumstances, no matter what I have become, I am still human and I can take only so much.

And I wouldn't have to go through any of these if it wasn't for Ryou. It was only fair to get him back for what he did to me.

"Are you really ready to throw everything you've been fighting for away? Kill the person you sacrificed so much to protect?"

I had sacrificed _everything _for him. I had gone to the bloody _Shadow Realm _for him! And yet... I was ready to throw everything away because he gave me a fright. Maybe the spirit was right. Maybe I was being irrational...

Why though? As I said I gave up everything for him. I was left with no choice because Ryou was such a bloody wuss! Because he was unable to protect himself or even those around him. He was the cause of harm for so many people it was almost a crime to let him live.

I wiped my face and looked the spirit straight in the eyes. I knew what he was trying to do and I would not allow him to do it. "If you think that with cheap mind tricks you will stop me then think again. I want to move on and as long as he lives, I can't. So I will get rid of him. Now stand aside."

What caught me by surprise however was that he did just that.

"Very well then. If that's how you feel." he said and vanished. I stared at the place he was standing just a second ago like an idiot. I mean, that's it? No 'Amane don't, it's wrong' or something like that? I am about to kill my own brother!

I froze.

* * *

I was about to kill Ryou.

I would have _killed_ him if the spirit hadn't stopped me.

He was safe and sound, I didn't know how and it didn't matter and yet here I was, _angry _about it.

I stood there, just staring at the wall straight in front of me for quite some hour. The others were far gone, I didn't even know where. I just couldn't understand. I knew I had gone all homicidal and actually tried to kill Ryou. I knew what I had done and why I tried to do it, being fully aware of my actions. But all of this rage, coming out of nowhere... I knew all these things before; I had asked these things myself countless times. Why would I be so angry to the point of actually trying to kill my brother? It makes no sense.

I am such a Drama Queen. I mean, it's not like it was truly Ryou's fault. He wasn't the one that forced me to stay back. Unconsciously or not, _I_ had done this to myself. And he was most definitely _not _the person that was driving the car that killed me and Mom. (I shuddered at the idea of Ryou driving a car. He would probably crush on the first tree he came across. That boy and his luck.)

I shook my head. I was so messed up to the point of becoming dangerous. _Dangerous for Ryou_. I had to learn to control myself. I was here to keep him safe and happy, not hurt him more.

Funny I didn't think like that when I tried to stop his heart.

There were two things I could do.

The first –and best- option would be of course to stay away from him. Till I was sure that something like this would never happen again, I would have to keep him out of my very sight.

Needless to say, the idea was instantly rejected. I could never do that. Selfish or not, I would have to work it out somehow. If I lost him, I would for sure go insane.

The other option was to keep going as I do now and try to keep a tight leash around myself. However, that could be done only if I didn't take into consideration the fact that I could snap at any given moment, with no one around to stop me.

I nodded my head satisfied.

Option No.2 it is.

* * *

I followed Ryou's trace, although my mind was not entirely there. I dreaded meeting the spirit of the Puzzle again, he did not seem all that happy with me. Maybe if I played dumb… Yeah, that's it. Avoiding our responsibilities is always the best thing to do. Seriously, if I could I would pat myself on the back for my idea.

It seemed like I didn't have to go through all the trouble of finding Ryou and his friends. I came across them while they were walking towards the exit, Joey with them. So we were finally getting out huh? Well, about time. This place is so dark that I can barely keep myself from rushing out.

We finally reached the corridor that led to the exit. I could see the daylight! I left the others behind me and ran out.

Now that Joey was found, we could go on our merry way like all was well. I really doubt that the others will go into trouble anytime soon.

* * *

When I heard groans and someone laughing what could be considered an evil laugh in early stages, all I wanted to do was sit down and cry. I turned around and my mouth fell to the ground. Right in front of me there were three freaky blokes pushing a giant boulder in front of the exit of the cave, effectively trapping my friends and Ryou inside.

Oh God what did they do _now_? I take my eyes from them for less than two minutes and that's what happens? They get trapped in a cave?

"I need vacation…" I murmured desperate.

I sighed and then quickly went back the moment a big bulled dip stick that looked like he was the leader of those arses, punched the first one. Getting inside -or getting out- a boulder-sealed cave was really easy when you were a dead person. And not zombie dead. Ghost dead. I can say that sometimes I actually like being a ghost.

As soon as I got in I saw Ryou and his friends trying to push the boulder out of their way but they had no success whatsoever. It made someone wonder, what all these boulders have against those people? I leaned against the wall and focused on them, not in the mood to think how dark and creepy and a bit cold this place was. Yeah, totally not focusing on that.

Ryou and Tea were the first to quit. They must have accepted that boulders are against them today, end of story. Yugi, Tristan and Joey kept trying but to no avail.

"Looks like we are trapped." announced Joey. Oh, I bow low before your high intellectual abilities Einstein.

"Oh come on, there's gotta be another way out of this place." said Tristan, although he didn't sound all that confident.

"But these tunnels run _everywhere_! We could be lost in here forever!" answered Tea. Well, now she was just exaggerating. Forever is a long time and those blokes didn't have that long. It would be more accurate if she had said "we could be lost here for the rest of our lives". But honestly, I doubted that. The exit should be around here somewhere. And I was not talking about the one with the boulder in front of it.

I felt energy coming off of Ryou and I turned my face so quickly, that I was positive that, in case I was alive, my neck would have snapped. I narrowed my eyes as I saw one of the Millennium Ring's prongs pointing at the opening that had led us here. My brother though didn't seem too concerned about devil's best pal going all pointy on him and simply followed the direction it was pointing at.

"Bakura?" asked Tea.

"Hey, Bakura, what gives?" shouted Joey behind him as Ryou came to a halt in front of another path.

"It seems my Millennium Ring is taking me in this direction." he said simply, with the same tone someone would say "what a nice weather".

"Why?" asked Tea again. Seriously, everybody found it so normal that an ancient artifact was acting on its own accord that they didn't even freak out? Just a little bit? Then I caught a glimpse of the Millennium Puzzle hanging around Yugi's neck. Yeah, forget that I said anything.

"Well, Yugi and I think that my Millennium Ring can detect other Millennium Items." I blinked. What? "And it's been honing in on Pegasus's Millennium Eye." I blinked again. Pegasus's Millennium…

"SPIRIT!"

* * *

"DON'T YOU PLAY DEAD ON ME YOU DIM WIT! COME OUT!" In a tiny and dark hole somewhere deep in my head I knew I was overreacting.

The violent, hysterical and insulting approach wasn't working. Alright then.

"Spirit! A giant boulder is chasing Yugi!" What? It was believable!

But still nothing. What was I supposed to do when a dead-for-who-knows-how-long spirit was giving me the cold shoulder? I mean, he was probably right, but now there were more pressing matters to attend to. Like how come this Pegasus dude had something called the _Millennium Eye_? How many of those things were scattered around anyway? Shouldn't there be someone to keep them hidden, sealed, banished to hell, or something like that? I needed some answers and I needed them now.

"Come out. Pretty please?"

Nothing.

"Pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry on top?"

More nothingness.

"I will… um… Oh forget it!" I murmured exasperated.

I walked next to Tea as we went deeper and deeper into this bloody cave. I was shivering every now and then and it annoyed me to no end. Seriously, you'd think that I would be bloody au fait with my surroundings, having spent the entire day in here.

"So… we're getting anywhere Bakura?" asked Joey.

"It's like we've been walking forever!" added Tristan.

"This doesn't look like the way out; it looks like a big maze!" said Joey again.

"That's right. And look at the walls down here! All the rocks are neatly arranged. It seems… man-made!" said Tea surprised.

I looked around, noticing the walls. She was right. Oh bugger it! I'd have a flutter it was another trap. Pegasus is someone I would gladly put his head under the wheels of a big lorry and then go back and forth, back and forth…

No! Bad Amane! These are bad, bad, Bakura-worthy thoughts. I would not think them. I am a better person and I would not think of the satisfying sounds his head would make while I drove back and forth over it…

I was dragged out of my personal pool of stupidity when Ryou suddenly took off.

"Follow me!" I felt the energy the Ring was emitting getting stronger, so I started running after him. "The Ring is pulling me this way!"

"Well tell it to pull slower!" shouted Joey behind him and to my surprise I agreed with him. What's with the running? I hate running, I believe I mentioned this before. Running is bad for my health. Well, not _my_ health, but you get the point. Running should be banned! It is evil! Evil I say! It's the way aliens have to slowly take control of the human race and then turn us into mindless puppets who will spent their lives breaking nuts for nut pies which are the only thing aliens feed on and then-

My rant was cut short when all the others suddenly stopped running and I fell on my face once again. I groaned. Why couldn't I just stop running without eating dirt for once? Or maybe, by giving us concussions the aliens think they will speed things up….

"I will take my vacation in Hawaii." I mumbled while standing up. "Where the sun shines and the sea is blue and shirtless boys are serving drinks in a coconut that has a little umbrella on it. I love little umbrellas."

I took a look at where Ryou had led us to. And I saw -oh, the surprise- a Duel Arena. The others gasped.

"What is this place?" asked Tea freaked out.

"You have entered-"

"Sacred grounds!"

"Where only duelists-"

"Can be found!" We looked around to see who were those talking but came up with nothing.

"Well, we're duelists…" said Joey unsure.

"In order to pass-"

"Across this chamber-"

And then they appeared.

* * *

They appeared. Two freaks doing ninja moves. I facepalmed. I felt so… cheated right now. We had walked through a big, dark, cold and creepy cave for hours on end just to end up with…this. The pain was almost physical.

"You must agree-"

"To face the danger."

"So let the contest-"

"Now begin!"

They stopped the fake fighting they were doing and looked at us with their arms crossed in front of their chests. The one was wearing an orange cloak over a ninja suit and the other a green cloak over a ninja suit. They were bald and they had funny noses. Also they were identical twins.

"You are trapped-"

"And the doors are al locked."

And then they struck a pose. Yeah, the pain was most definitely physical now.

"You face the brothers… Paradox!" they said in unison. Please tell me it's not their name, not their name, not their name…

"Employed by Pegasus as eliminators-"

"To take all your star chip indicators!"

"You gotta duel these goons Yugi?" asked Joey

"And if, by some crazy fate's whim you manage to win-"

"Why then, a puzzling new test shall immediately begin!"

"For over my shoulder you see a door! And over my brother's-" I looked and indeed, there was a door with a symbol engraved on it, identical to the tattoo he had on his forehead.

"One door more!" said the one in green and his door had the same symbol as his forehead too.

"They test the choice-"

"That you must make!" they were saying, while continuing to form a new pose.

"Which of these doors will you take?" they asked in unison. I was glad that the lorry in my head had four wheels. Not that I was thinking of it.

"The one leads to an endless maze!"

"Where you will wander all your days!"

"The other door is the path you need."

"Choose correctly and you'll be freed!"

"Which door leads out?"

"And which leads to your doom?"

"That's for you to guess-"

"And for the brothers Paradox to know!" the one in green finished. Oh great! It was indeed their name.

"So… even if Yugi wins this match we could still end up lost into these caves forever?" asked Tea frustrated. When did Yugi say he would duel? Must have missed it while trying to block the constant rhyming out of my poor, poor eardrums.

"Against us, one mere duelist would be grieved!"

"So you must duel as a team!" I had a headache… Why wouldn't they stop rhyming! I hate rhyming! Rhyming is bad! Where is my bloody lorry! I will put each head under one wheel and then…

I felt the Puzzle awakening and the spirit took over Yugi's body. Oh right, _now_ you're listening you bloody berk.

He took a step forward. "Tag team it is. And I would be honored if Joey fought by my side."

"You got it bro."

They took their places on the arena.

"Alright brothers Paradox! Me and Yugi are gonna clean your cloaks!"

"Prepare to be puzzled!"

"Prepare to be fooled!"

"Prepare to be baffled, for in this field we rule!" they finished together. How did they do this? They were practicing rhymes in their free time? Also, I should mention here that we were trapped in an endless maze because the two lamest villains ever wanted to _play Duel Monsters_. The situation is pathetic no matter how you look at it.

"I am gonna baffle them both if they don't stop rhyming!" said Joey. I nodded my head.

"You and I both Joey." I said.

"Now, enough of your wimps!"

"Time to wager your star chips!"

Joey and I growled. "I'll throw down two." he said and placed his star chips on the board.

"Plus four more, for a total of six." said the spirit. I don't know why, but it reminded me of when my Dad taught Ryou poker, some time before things started to go seriously downhill. I liked that game and I watched them play every night. I suppose it was something they did in an unconscious attempt to salvage their still existing relationship. They would wager beans since Ryou didn't have any money and my Dad would put a CD in the stereo. My Dad, someone who hated to lose, never went easy on Ryou and I knew that, as soon as he started to win it meant that he was getting good at it. I liked to think that we were playing together, so I would sit next to him and shout at him to play this or that card. We laughed together or shared news or whatever we wanted to say was said there. It was Poker Time, that's what I called it and Ryou and Dad would do it every night, not missing it once.

Then they had one of their first big arguments and they never played again. I think it was one or two years before Ryou and I came back to America. I shook my head and focused on the duel.

I also pretended that I never felt my eyes tearing up.

* * *

I watched the duel between the Paradox brothers and our friends. At one point, the brothers –whose names turned out to be Para and Dox- mentioned the test with the doors once again, something that made Joey recall a similar story where a bloke wanted to go to a village of truth tellers. However, next to it was a village of liars. The kid was in a crossroad and he couldn't know where to go, so he decided to ask a villager that was passing by for directions. Not knowing which one he was, a liar or a truth teller, it came down to him choosing the right question, one that would lead him to Truthville no matter the villager's origins. So he asked the villager to take him to his own village. If he was a liar he would take him to the village of the truth tellers because he would be taking him to the wrong place and if he was from Truthville, he would take him to the right village on account of being truthful. That made apparent for Joey that we needed to first figure out which one of the brothers was telling the truth. This caused Para to tell him that both he and Yugi had one question.

Joey immediately asked them to show to us the door each of them guarded. They both showed Dox's door which led to some cheers from Joey. However, all I had to do was to check the spirit's expression to know that there was something fishy in here.

When Joey questioned him about it, he answered that there were some minor changes in our current situation that in fact proved Joey's conclusion wrong. See, if there were two villagers instead of one, one truthful and one liar, the liar could never admit to it, because it would mean he was telling the truth. That statement could be made only if both of them were liars.

"Long vacation in Hawaii after this." I murmured again. "In fact, I will move to Hawaii and stay there."

* * *

The duel ended with Joey and the spirit as the winners. The only thing left was to pick the right door and we were out of here once and for all. I sighed and then blinked. Had I just...

"It's contagious! The rhyming is contagious!" I shrieked dramatically and when that got out of my system, I waited to see the spirit's idea of getting us out.

"Now… which of you brothers guard the door that leads out of here?" asked the spirit smirking. So that was his ingenious strategy? We should have gone with my plan and force them to show us the right way by…um… you know what; I would just go with the spirit's plan. Not because I don't have one, but because mine is too clever for anyone but me to understand. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

"If you value your lives you'll choose my way…" said Para, nodding to his door.

"Select my side, or else you'll pay!" said Dox nodding to his.

"Not this again! Can't you two just act normal and give us a straight answer for once?" asked Tea exasperated.

"I'm giving you a straight answer!" they answered in unison.

"You bloody…bloody…" I struggled to not say what I wanted.

Ok, I struggled.

"You bloody clots!" I shouted. It's good taking it off your chest. Especially after all I had to take off my chest after spending so much time having to listen to their constant rhyming.

"The answer is, we can't trust either of these two." said the spirit calmly.

"Ok, any bright ideas?" asked Tristan.

"Uhh… sure. Don't I always?" said Joey, causing almost everyone to shake our heads in desperation.

"Nyeh, zero respect..." he mumbled.

"We'll decide with these." said the spirit, showing us two coins were he had drawn the symbols on the doors. I sweatdropped but stayed focused.

The brothers laughed. "Okay, heads or tails?" asked Dox.

"Neither. I marked each coin to represent a different door. The coin that I keep clenched in my fist will be the door that I have chosen."

* * *

"So… ready?" asked the spirit confidently. After some seconds he opened his right fist and revealed the coin that represented Dox's door.

"The coin is marked for Dox's door." said Para, trying to smirk. I refused to acknowledge that grimace as a smirk.

"But was your choice good or was it not?" finished Dox.

"What say you Dox? Shall we tell which door is right?" asked Para. Not only ugly and rhymy, but without any knowledge of basic grammar. Great.

"In due time Para. I'm enjoying their blight." At that I started taking deep calming breaths. I would not allow their rhyming to affect me. I refused. Me and my headache both.

"Was it Para?" asked Joey.

"Or was it Dox?" asked Tea after him.

"Yeah, fess up!" said Tristan. I kept my attention to the spirit. His smirk had widened now, which was probably good. Right?

And then he frowned. I sighed and waited. And also hoped for them to stop rhyming. Not that it affected me.

"I say…" said Para.

"You choose wrong! It was his doorway…"

"All along!" said Para and they laughed.

"So Dox's door was the right one?" asked Tea.

"Not quite." said the spirit smirking. That seemed to confuse the brothers.

"Oh yes it was!" said Para.

"Except if we had picked it, Para's door would be the right one." the spirit stated calmly."You can choose which door leads to each path, can't you?" I gasped. So that means they were making sure we would stay trapped? "Ensuring that we choose wrong."

"That's not fair! You guys are cheatin'!" said Joey angrily.

They smirked cockily. "Too bad, too late, you chose a way. It means…"

"In this maze you will stay!" I stood with my mouth on the ground and then anger surged through me. Oh, I could make them tell us, alright.

My hands started to glow.

"Well, actually…" said the spirit, making me turn to him. "You never saw our choice." The coin in his hand… was Dox's! Okay, I'm lost here. "I figured the two of you would pull a stunt like this. So, I pulled a stunt of my own with these two coins." he explained. "Instead of marking them both with just one door insignia, I marked the second coin with two." he said and tossed it up. "One insignia on each side. That way we couldn't lose." Hoho, spirit plays dirty!

Para and Dox gasped.

"Ha! Beat ya at your own game!" cheered Joey.

"Both of them! Now if you excuse us, we have a score to settle with your boss." said the spirit proudly. Well, he had every right in the world to be proud.

"Alright then! On to Pegasus's castle!" said Joey.

* * *

We were practically running to get out of there and this time I didn't care about aliens one bit. I was out first since I didn't have to get a giant door out of my way and when I felt the breeze… well I shrieked from the bottom of my lungs.

I laughed and laughed, running around like a psychotic kid that was in a candy store holding everyone at gun point, thus allowed to eat anything it wanted to.

That was a pretty messed up metaphor, even for me.

I waited for the others to come out and when they did, I noticed that the Ring was active again.

"My Millennium Ring is pointing…"

"There, to Pegasus's castle!" said Tea, unexplainably cheerful about it. I disregarded it as lack of oxygen.

I noticed Tea staring skeptically at Yugi and stifled a laugh. She was the one who would most likely figure out that something was going on with the whole personality-switching thing first. The girl was smart and she also had a gut instinct strong enough to outmatch anyone's.

Joey, Tristan and Ryou had already run to the castle and they were climbing a ridiculously big amount of stairs. I decided that I would not run, instead I would take my sweet time with those.

"Amane, we need to talk."

I turned around to see the spirit with a serious expression on his face. I sighed. Sod's Law again huh? Oh well.

I took off as quickly as possible. "Sorry, have to catch up to Ryou, bye!" I shouted behind me. When I turned to look at him he seemed a bit surprised and I laughed while running.

No matter what we would be up against soon, all was well now.

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS FAITHFUL READERS! If you are still there that is… Sorry it took so long to update, that chapter proved to be really hard. **

**Anyway, Christmas cake for everyone who will review! Last but not least, special thanks to halo cat. She knows why. ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**A/N: Hey all you lovable fellows! First of all, thank you my dearest Guest for reviewing! Second of all, Happy New Year! :D And last but not least, since I am kind of a crazy Revolutionshipper, you may see some parts that, although won't affect the plot of the show, will point to that direction. I just thought that, since not anyone may share my opinion, you should be warned that it's coming sooner or later. Now, on with the story!**

_If there is one thing that I believe everyone on this planet knows better than anything is that, when you say 'nothing can make things worse' or in my case 'all was well', things are bound to get bloody worse. So much worse that anyone would be sure they can't go any worse and they will decide to express their opinion once again. And then something even worse will happen and then they will say it again and so on. I'm telling you, it's an endless cycle of pain!_

_I'd have a flutter you'd love to know why I'm telling you all of these. I think it's pretty blatant though. Things went worse over here like a bomb. _

* * *

Tea and Yugi were talking, still not even on the first step. I was dying to know what they were talking about but really, was my curiosity worth going down all these stairs and having to face a _not so happy_ spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, just to eavesdrop on Yugi and Tea's conversation? Not to mention that I would have to climb up all of those stairs again.

I decided to just wait, or even get a head start. I am pretty sure that the closer Yugi came, the more running I would have to do in order to avoid the spirit. I sighed and started walking up the stairs the moment I heard Joey and Tristan shout at Yugi and Tea to hurry up.

* * *

Someone was standing in front of the castle's gates. I dismissed him as a part of Pegasus's security. It was highly possible for a CEO that was mad as a hatter and everyone hated to be paranoid after all.

However there was something I could almost recognize on him. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

I was practically running up the stairs, both because I wanted to see who that guy was and because I could make out the voices of the rest of the gang as well. With their voices came their bodies and with a certain short, baby-panda-ish body came the Millennium Puzzle, with which came the spirit that lived in it. So better not get too close.

I was almost at the top. I was panting from all these stairs and muttering things that, if my Mom could hear me say, I would end up with the entire bar of soap in my mouth. Maybe even two bars. I could now see the bloke that was standing in the way, none other than Seto Baika himself. I paused. Or was it Raika? Or maybe it was-

"Hey guys look! You're not gonna believe who's blocking our way into the castle!" I heard Tristan say. I snapped my head at their direction to see them all right behind me. Well, I was about to sa-

"It's Kaiba!" said Yugi, disbelievingly. Hey, I was just about to say that!

"Hey, what's he doin' here?" asked Joey, not happy to see him, for obvious reasons.

However, Kaiba ignored all of them.

"I can't let you pass Yugi." he stated, his eyes focused solely on Yugi.

"I won ten star-chips. So stand aside." commanded Yugi sternly.

"You may have won enough star-chips to qualify for the Duelist Kingdom playoffs Yugi, but I cannot allow you to face Pegasus. He's mine. We are going to have one final duel. You will lose and I will win. The winds of change are blowing Yugi Moto."

I smell a card game...

* * *

"Oh, he's so smug up there!" said Tea with disgust.

The others moved closer to him.

"Step aside Kaiba!" Yugi ordered again.

"Not until you agree to duel me."

"I am _not_ dueling you! I don't have to!"

"So… you are not anymore confident that the so-called _Heart of the Cards_ can help you win? Or you are afraid you can't beat me without Exodia? That's it, isn't it Yugi? You are just scared you won't be able to beat me a second time. You coward!"

"Hey, back off! He doesn't have to prove anything!" shouted Tea.

Joey growled. "You wonna duel smart-mouth? Come on, I'll take ya on, let's duel!"

Kaiba chuckled, which enraged Joey. "Don't laugh!" he shouted and made to charge at him, but Ryou and Tristan held him back.

"Joey, down boy!" said Tristan as if talking to a dog. Seriously, that name's gonna get stuck on him.

"Don't forget, when you battled him before he slaughtered you!" Ryou reminded him, causing him to facepalm and give up. I got quite annoyed at that. No need to discourage Joey! At least _he _fights for someone he loves.

"Like you could do any better?" said Tea, voicing my thoughts exactly. At that they both smiled like idiots at her. Touché.

"Heh, I see the little barking Chihuahua already has ten star- chips!" Kaiba said in mock surprise. "You earned them yourself or did Yugi throw you a few bones?" Tristan and Ryou now were barely able to hold Joey back. I didn't know what the deal with those two was, but I did know that if Kaiba didn't take it down a notch I would have to feed him some humble pie. And boy, would I enjoy it!

"Don't call me a Chihuahua!" said Joey growling.

"Heh, don't let him snap his chain. There is no challenge in humiliating you again Joey." I narrowed my eyes. "There's only one player who's ever beat me at Duel Monsters and that's Yugi."

I could easily understand someone being angry about losing something with actual value. But being defeated in a _children's card game_ and actually _holding a grudge_ against someone about it… that's pretty pathetic. But on the other hand, everything here seems to be solved through Duel Monsters… It's almost like the bloody card game is the only bloody law around here.

"Yugi, you said you won by taping in the Heart of the Cards and for a long time I didn't know what that meant, but now I think I do." Oh, little Kaiba saw the light. I think I'm going to cry. "And it took Pegasus to show me." he finished. Uh… am I missing something here? Didn't we all hate Pegasus?

Kaiba took out a locket in the shape of a Duel Monster's trading card and opened it. I couldn't look at its contents but I noticed his expression change.

"He gave me a reason to put my heart in the cards." he said softly, not taking his eyes from his locket. His expression became darker.

"For the first time Yugi, I can duel with fire and passion in my heart!" he said and the determination I saw in his eyes made me feel like maybe he had a reason to fight after all.

* * *

"Yugi! You can't accept his challenge!" said Ryou.

"You've already earned enough star-chips to get into the castle!" Tea agreed.

"I've changed. I deserve a rematch." said Kaiba quietly. "Let me play you again Yugi. Let me play you for the right reasons."

Yugi seemed to think it for only a second when I sensed the spirit taking over.

Cor blimey, that's a fast decision! If it was Yugi's decision at all.

I watched Tea's expression turn into one of shock. She stared at the spirit like she was looking for something. I raised my brow. If she was able to say the difference between the spirit and Yugi, then it wouldn't take long for her to find out the real deal about what was going on with Yugi.

"Kaiba I accept your duel! We'll see what you've really learned!" the spirit said, pointing at Kaiba. "You just name the place."

"Our dueling field has been prepared. Follow me." he said, picking up his briefcase and walked into the castle.

* * *

Once inside, we took a few turns and then we climbed the stairs that led us in the upper floors. Jeez, what's the deal with Pegasus and elevators is beyond me.

When I was almost to my breaking point, Kaiba came to a halt in front of a big metallic door. He opened it and we all went through it. I took a look around and sighed.

He had taken us on the bloody roof.

Does _everything_ that has to do with Duel Monsters have to be so dramatic?

The spirit and Kaiba each took their places facing each other.

"Alright Kaiba, it's time to duel!"

"Yugi, here's the deal. We'll each wager five star-chips on this duel and the winner will be the only one who earns the right to enter to the main castle."

I hope the main castle has an elevator or something. If I wasn't dead I would have lost a lot of weight on my way to get up here.

"Done. Five chips." said the spirits and removed the agreed amount off of his glove.

"We will use my new duel disk system. Insert your shuffled deck in the card recognition slot. Life points automatically set to two thousand." Kaiba instructed the spirit.

"Take him! You did it once Yugi and we know you can do it again!" shouted Joey trying to encourage the spirit.

My attention got sidetracked though by someone walking to the opposite part of the roof. He was standing there staring at the others with his mouth opened in shock. He wore a pair of sunglasses and he had a strong built. Also he looked familiar. I tried to remember where I knew him from, when it suddenly donned on me. It was that dim whit who had trapped us into that cave!

I narrowed my eyes. I had a score to settle.

I quickly followed him. I didn't want to lose this duel so I would have to make it quick.

* * *

He was running to one of the towers and when we reached there I saw why. He wanted to have a better view of the duel between Kaiba and the spirit.

I drew energy from the bond I shared with Ryou and I felt the familiar warmth surround me. I then looked back at the bloke and smirked.

I raised my hand and shot an energy ball straight to his chest. I wanted to test if I could really harm someone alive with my powers.

The energy passed straight through him but instead of bringing him to his knees from pain as I planned, he just turned and looked around. He had indeed felt something, but not what I wanted. And with those bloody sunglasses on, I couldn't make out his expression.

Then an idea came to mind and I walked to him. Putting much more energy, I focused almost all of it to my right hand. And then I pushed my hand in his chest from his back.

He gasped and I pushed deeper. He placed his hand on his chest.

I could slightly feel his organs and bones. It was disgusting but I tried to focus on the pleasure of taking my revenge on him for trapping us in that cave. I'd have a flutter he believed we wouldn't be able to get out of there. I touched my way around his chest and then touched something that seemed to be slightly round and pulsing. I smirked again.

Bingo.

I had found his heart.

He was panting and groaning like an injured cow and I was sure it was the best sound I had heard in a while. I enclosed the heart in my fist and increased the energy in my hand, bending it easily to my will in order to make it close in on his heart. He tried to scream but couldn't since he had trouble to even breathe properly. He fell on his knees and his sunglasses were half fallen from his face. His eyes were wide as saucers and drool was coming out of his mouth. He kept panting.

I bended over his shoulder and whispered in his ear. My energy was flaring around me and I hoped he would be able to listen to what I had to say.

"Don't you ever come near us again. Not Yugi, not Ryou not anyone. Try anything and I will kill you." I whispered and released him.

He fell on the floor hugging himself and panting. He gave no signs that he had heard me.

I was easy though. I had warned him, so the rest were up to him.

* * *

I went back to where Yugi and Kaiba were dueling, feeling better than when this bloody day started. Actually I could say that I felt as if nothing had happened in that cave. I felt nice. I standed beside Ryou and turned my attention to the duel.

A green genie-like thing was attacking the spirit.

"My cards!"

The attack hit one card from the four he had in front of him and it was smashed to pieces.

"De-spell has destroyed your Swords of Revealing Light." Kaiba said and then smirked. "Hm, that's a tough loss Yugi. Your swords could have paralyzed my monsters for three turns, but I guess that now you will lose three turns sooner."

"Don't count on it Kaiba!" spirit said taking his duel disk back in hand.

"That genie is big trouble, but as long as it has the lamp to hide it Yugi can't touch it!" commented Ryou.

"Is there any way to destroy the lamp?" asked Tea, but nobody answered. The spirit drew a card from his deck and stared at it for a moment. Then he placed it on the Duel Disk and threw.

"But first I call upon the Dark Magician!" he said and his cards and a monster that looked familiar appeared again. I squeezed my brain and then remembered where I had seen it before. It was the monster Yugi was dressed like back when the spirit got me out of the Shadow Realm. I looked at it and for a second I was sure it had stared back. I shook my head. What an dim thought.

**Dark Magician Attack: 2500**

**Dark Magician Defense: 2100**

"I'm surprised you put your Magician at risk Yugi. Especially when you have no idea what I have in store for you."

The spirit smirked. "Then perhaps _before_ I attack I should see what you are planning for myself!" he said and a card started to shine and spin around in front of him.

Kaiba looked taken aback by this statement. "What do you mean?"

"Behold my Magic Eye of Truth!" he said and the card revealed an altered version of the Eye of Horus. Kaiba gritted his teeth in frustration.

"It's called The Eye of Truth because it knows all, sees all!" What a creepy statement. Seriously, it sounded like something straight out of a thriller. And Ithought I was weird. "And it will reveal every card in your hand." finished the spirit.

As the cards started to reveal themselves, Kaiba's eyes went huge. It was actually kind of funny!

"What's this? You have a Blue Eyes White Dragon in your hand but you haven't played it?" asked the spirit curiously. I looked at the last card to be revealed and it turned out that it was the same card he had used on Joey in order to put an end to their duel.

"You can always count on Kaiba to have a Blue Eyes White Dragon up his sneaky, slimy sleeve!" said Joey. I think Kaiba is not the only one holding stupid grudges here…

"He sure loves his Blue Eyes…" commented Tristan.

"Three Blue Eyes White Dragons! That must be impossible for Yugi to beat!" said Ryou worried.

"Oh yeah?" asked Tea angrily. "Well Yugi's beaten three Blue Eyes before and he'll do it again!"

* * *

The duel went on. The spirit managed to destroy Kaiba's magic lamp by using a card called Magic Box. After that it was a piece of cake for the Dark Magician to destroy the genie in it, forcing Kaiba to say hello to 700 Life Points. Then Kaiba summoned a monster called Sagi, the Dark Clown. The creepiest thing I had seen since Bakura appeared on field and I shrieked jumping on Ryou, ending up on my butt. Well, it was a welcome change from falling on my face, that's for sure. I standed up and kept watching the duel.

**Sagi the Dark Clown Attack: 600**

**Sagi the Dark Clown Defense: 1200**

The spirit seemed skeptical and then drew a new card. He looked pleased with what he had in hand and spanned the Duel Disk.

"And he will defeat Sagi once again. Gaia the Fierce Knight! In attack mode!" he shouted.

**Gaia the Fierce Knight Attack: 2300**

**Gaia the Fierce Knight Defense: 2100**

A knight in a blue and yellow armor holding a spear and riding a purple horse appeared. He destroyed the Clown with ease.

"Your Dark Clown has been vanquished Kaiba!"

"'Vanquished' and 'sacrificed' are two very different things Yugi. Look again!" answered Kaiba as the pieces of his clown shined and Gaia trembled.

"No! What's happening?" Gaia disappeared. "Gaia!"

"Not just Gaia Yugi."

"And my Dark Magician! What have you done Kaiba?"

"It's really quite ingenious actually. Knowing you couldn't resist attacking my clown, I infected him with the Crush Card Virus." he stated calmly. I wasn't really sure what that meant but I could easily understand that the spirit was screwed. Big time.

The spirit seemed taken aback.

"A Crush Card?"

"By destroying the infected Sagi, you released the Crush Card Virus. A virus that is so highly contagious to Duel Monsters that even as I speak these words, it is infecting all but the weakest cards in your precious dueling deck!" he explained smugly. I gasped as did the others. That meant that the spirit had lost the duel?

The Duel Disk on the spirits wrist went off, beeping like crazy.

"No, my cards!"

Kaiba laughed. "The only cards unaffected by the virus are only those with an attack power weaker than fifteen hundred!" His smirk became a huge grin that struck me as odd coming from him. He didn't look like a very sunny personality. "Looks like I've broken the heart of _your_ cards Yugi!" he said and laughed again.

"Well played. But it will take more than a virus to win this duel Kaiba!" he said, although he sounded less confident than before.

Kaiba chuckled again. "Yes I expect it will Yugi. Actually I am looking forward to subjecting you to a wide array of debilitating cards!"

The spirit gritted his teeth and Joey and the others tried to encourage him. Well, everyone but Ryou that is. He simply pointed out how bad the situation was and trust me when I say that, that boy has a bad gift of making bad situations sound even worse. I would say that he is more discouraging than anything right now. It was almost like he considered Yugi's defeat just a matter of time; he just didn't say anything out loud so as to not have the hell punched out of him. And right now I might even allow it.

* * *

"You may have infected the body of my cards Kaiba but it is the _heart_ of the cards that will get me through this contamination!" shouted the spirit and drew. He took a look at his card and frowned.

"Face it Yugi, to continue laying in this duel, you have to serve up your weakest monsters."

The spirit said nothing but his frown deepened.

"Silver Fang in attack mode!" he shouted and spanned the Duel Disk, a white big wolf appearing. "And his attack points are low enough to make him immune to your virus! Your turn."

**Silver Fang Attack: 1200**

**Silver Fang Defense: 800**

"Ironic that a wolf will be the first of your sacrificial lambs but so be it." he said and threw his Duel Disk. "Battle Ox awaken and let loose the dogs of war!" Do they have to be so dramatic every time they summon a monster? Seriously, they talk more than they duel!

**Battle Ox Attack: 1700**

**Battle Ox Defense: 1000**

The Battle Ox destroyed Silver Fang with ease. Kaiba started taunting the spirit but he kept a straight face and summoned another creature. By combining it with a magic card called "Horn of the Unicorn" he raised the monster's attack points by 700 and managed to destroy the Battle Ox. We cheered in the sidelines for this little victory but the duel was far from over.

However Kaiba didn't seem fazed by the loss of his monster. Instead, he drew a card and then summoned a monster called Mystical Elf. She appeared and started chanting and glowing.

"See Yugi", Kaiba was saying, "if there is one thing I learned from my matches with you is that you have an uncanny ability for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. But I don't intent to give you such an opportunity today. Which is why I have summoned the Mystical Elf today to reinforce my life points by 300!"

The spirit was staring intently at him, as if trying to figure out something. Then Kaiba smirked and placed a card on his Duel Disk.

"Behold the almighty Blue Eyes White Dragon!" he shouted and a huge dragon came to the field.

**Blue Eyes White Dragon Attack: 3000**

**Blue Eyes White Dragon Defense: 2500**

For a second time, even for the flicker of a moment, I felt a presence when the dragon appeared and I narrowed my eyes. The first time, when Kaiba dueled Joey, it could be considered a hallucination, especially since I was just out of the Shadow Realm, but a second time? I may be nuts but not _that_ nuts. There was something odd about that card.

I didn't know what was going on with all of this magic that looked like it followed Ryou and Yugi wherever they went, the sure thing is that I was brassed off with all this supernatural mumbo jumbo and when that was coming from a bloody ghost it said a lot!

"Now Yugi, your fate belongs to me! Blue Eyes White Dragon take flight and destroy Griforn! White Lightning Attack!"

A blast came out of the dragon's mouth and destroyed the spirit's monster, leaving him with a mere 400 Life Points.

"Already my Blue Eyes has you cowering and this is only the beginning." he said smugly. "Soon you will know what fear is."

"I don't fear your Blue Eyes Kaiba! I've defeated him before! And with my Giant Stone Soldier guarding me I will manage to defeat him again!" he said as a giant humanoid boulder standed protectively in front of him.

**Giant Stone Soldier Attack: 1300**

**Giant Stone Soldier Defense: 2000**

"I'm afraid you're mistaken." Kaiba said and drew. "Yugi, when you battled my Blue Eyes before they were three separate dragons. Formidable yes, but not invincible. But now I found a way to merge their power, combine them together to create a monster beyond imagining!"

Everyone's eyes widened as the three Blue Eyes White Dragons were being combined with each other.

"I've created a creature with no fear, with an attack force so great that no monster can stand against it! I create the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Kaiba shouted, pure ecstasy in his voice. When the three-headed dragon appeared, I took a step back, feeling my eyes widen even more. The raw, incredible energy that it was giving off made my head spin.

Yugi and the spirit had no chance against a creature like that.

* * *

"Yugi Moto, there is now escape! Nothing can save you now!" Kaiba said delightful.

**Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon Attack: 4500**

**Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon Defense: 3800**

And he was probably right. Nothing in Yugi's whole deck could stand up to that thing and the way Kaiba had crippled it by infecting it with that Crush Card from before… I was no Duel Monsters expert, hell I wasn't even a Duel Monsters amateur, but it was easy to see that all was lost for Yugi and the spirit.

"That monster's attack points are off the charts!" said Tea terrified.

"Yeah, how can any creature in Yugi's deck beat _that_ thing!"

"That Kaiba! He's been setting up Yugi for that thing this entire time!" said Tristan shocked.

I really hoped the spirit would be able to make a comeback. If he lost the right to enter the castle now, he may lose his only chance to save Yugi's Grandpa. I didn't know why that Kaiba bloke was so hell-bent on defeating Yugi and gain entrance in the castle, but whatever it was it must be important. Otherwise he is nothing but a jerk.

"Yugi, how I savor this moment! This is the moment I've been waiting for ever since you handed me my first and only Duel Monsters defeat. Prepare yourself to see the power of my creature unleashed!" The spirit gritted his teeth and my fists clenched.

"Stay strong spirit." I murmured.

"Blue Eyes Ultimate White Dragon, Neutron Blast Attack!" Kaiba practically screamed.

The creature destroyed Stone Soldier, leaving Yugi defenseless and with no protection whatsoever against that dragon. Kaiba proposed to him to surrender and to my absolute shock he seemed to actually consider it!

"No Yugi!" Joey shouted.

"You can win this!" encouraged Ryou.

"Yeah!" I shouted, even though he couldn't hear me. "Show that Kaiba-freak who's the boss spirit! Don't let your Grandpa down!"

"That's right! We all believe in you!" said Tea.

"You gotta remember what you're fighting for Yug! The Heart of the Cards, just like your Grandpa taught you! You never let anyone down before and I know you're not gonna let your Grandpa down now!" shouted Joey with a fierce glint on his eyes. I had a feeling that in case the spirit _did_ surrender, Joey would punch him for all he was worth.

Determination washed all over the spirit's face and his hands stopped shaking. I smiled at him.

"No Kaiba! I will never surrender to the likes of you!"

"That's it! That's the kind of determination I expect from you! Fight on, gather every last bit of your strength now Yugi! I prefer to take you down when you fight at your hardest."

I felt Ryou tense beside me and I saw that all of them were staring intently at the spirit. I closed my eyes and lowered my head, smiling slightly.

"We all believe in you guys." I whispered.

"Kick butt Yug!" screamed Joey.

"It comes to this. So draw your card and face your fate Yugi." said Kaiba with a grin.

"Let's finish this Kaiba!" shouted the spirit not even looking at the card he had just drawn.

And for the first time since my death, I prayed for someone other than Ryou or myself.

**A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to say that we will change our internet connection and I won't be able to go online for a while. I will try to use a friend's computer for updating but most likely I won't be able to answer your reviews as soon as I'd like, but rest assured that I read and treasure every one of them. **

**As usual, R&R, constructive criticism really appreciated, flames will be use to burn what will remain of the flamer so as to cover my bloody tracks. ;) Those who review will have a big piece of pizza! (But do not tell that to C.C or there will be no pizza left…)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… **

**A/N: Okay, good news first! I won't have my internet connection cut since the problems that came up with the company were solved. So now you will just have to tolerate me! :) **

"It doesn't matter what card you play next Yugi, you have nothing that can withstand the phenomenal attack strength of my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! You might as well give up."

From what I could –easily- understand, Kaiba had the spirit on the ropes. I could see it from the way the others looked so desperate. Also, from the fact that Kaiba's dragon had 4500 attack points. I must admit it tipped me off a bit.

Τhe spirit took a look at the card he drew and started to laugh.

"That's it; he finally went off the deep end…" I murmured. I kind of liked listening to my voice. It's been a long time since I could use it after all.

"Kaiba! I just drew the card that will defend me against your Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"Impossible!"

"Watch and learn!" said the spirit smugly. He sure looked bloody confident for someone who was just about ready to give up hope just a few moments ago…

He pulled back his Duel Disk and placed a card on it, then threw it back on the field. "This is it! The beginning of your defeat! Kuriboh, in attack mode!" he shouted and the fluffiest, cutest, cuddliest little fellow I've ever seen in my entire death showed up. I squealed and then sweatdropped. Kuriboh had no more than 300 attack points! I have to say that, although I haven't attended math class since I was eight years old, I am positive that 4500 is still a bigger number than 300. But of course that might have changed in the last eight years… I sincerely hope.

"That's ridiculous!" said Kaiba, sounding genuinely offended. "In the entire game, Kuriboh is the weakest monster!"

"Kaiba's right! What was Yugi thinking playing that little guy?"

Kaiba chuckled. "Yugi, you are free to concede and forfeit the match. But, come on; don't embarrass yourself by playing that runt of a monster. You must know that this is the puniest monster with the lowest attack points in all of Duel Monsters! I've never known a serious duelist to even keep one in their deck!" Now _I_ was genuinely offended. No one was allowed to insult little Kuriboh in my presence!

Kaiba pointed at the spirit angrily. "Don't insult my intelligence pretending that miserable creature can defend against the almighty Ultimate Blue Eyes!"

The smirk remained on the spirit's face as he answered. "Kaiba, you're mistaken. This card will defend _everything_! And believe me, before this duel is over your dragon will fall!" he shouted.

"My Ultimate Dragon? Nonsense!" said Kaiba looking taken aback from the spirit's statement. "So go on and finish your turn so I can knock the stuffing out of your Kuriboh and win the game!"

"As you wish!" he said and the card in front of him revealed itself. "My last card will be the magic card Multiply! Multiply works with monsters with attack below 500." Suddenly more of the little fury balls started to appear next to the original one. The spirit's already smug expression became even smugger. "And multiplies them endlessly." I was sure I had figured out what he was about to do. He was going to attack with an infinite number of Kuriboh Kaiba's dragon! If they attacked at the same moment, taking down the mutant would be a piece of cake.

"More than you bargained for, eh Kaiba?" taunted the spirit.

Kaiba growled at him. I mean really growled. The bloke is a scary one that's for sure…

"So is this some kind of a joke?" he asked outraged.

The spirit laughed at him. "The joke's on you Kaiba! When you attacked you thought I had only one defender, but now… I have many! And I am getting more and more defenders by the second!"

And it was indeed true. As he talked, more and more Kuriboh were coming out on the field, which made me feel extremely happy for reasons I was unable to explain. I giggled and went in the middle of the arena, trying to touch them. I felt like there was nothing else I wanted more than just hug one and touch its soft-looking fur. Whoever designed this little fellow was a genius! How could anyone resist him? With those round puppy-like eyes that were so sweet and its little hands and le-

"Neutron Blast!"

I saw the energy blast going straight through me and burning some of the Kuribohs to a crisp. To my absolute shock, I actually felt pain when that happened. Went through me, I mean. Weren't those things supposed to be holograms?

"Cor blimey!" I turned around and glared at the dragon. "Did you just try to fry me like an egg?"

The dragon said nothing, which pissed me off even more. "Oh now you are just staring aren't you? Coward!" I yelled.

"…for now I go on the attack!" I heard the spirit saying and I decided that it was in my best interests to get out of the way. The _hologram's _attack had not gone by me as it should; instead I felt pain from the blast. Either the Duel Disk technology was a bit too realistic, or something was wrong with that dragon. And bugger me if I wanted to know first-hand if that applied to Yugi's monster's as well.

I standed next to Ryou once again and kept watching the duel.

"Watch me! For I will show you the combo that will bring your dragon down!" he said and one by one, the cards in front of him started to turn around as he called their names.

"Mammoth Graveyard! Polymerization! And the Living Arrow card!"

"What's the Living Arrow card?" asked Kaiba slowly. He didn't seem that eager for the answer though.

"Living Arrow allows me to use my other cards in combination, not with my other cards but my _opponent's _monsters! I'll show you." he said triumphantly. "Normally, I make a fusion with my cards but for a new twist… Living Arrow allows me to fuse _my_ cards with _your _cards, opening up whole new possibilities!" The spirit sure as bugger loved to crush his opponents, didn't he?

The cards combined with each other and slowly, the Mammoth Graveyard came out and ran towards Kaiba's dragon.

"Now what?" asked Kaiba, shocked.

The monster shined for a moment and then transformed into a golden arrow.

"Now I can use the magical power of the Living Arrow to bound my Mammoth Graveyard to the heart of you beast!" he said just as the arrow pierced the Ultimate Dragon and it made a sound of excruciating pain. And still, it looked like I was the only one who noticed that. It was supposed to be a hologram for the love of God! _Why_ can't something _not _absolutely weird happen when I am with Ryou's friends?

The head of the Mammoth Graveyard appeared on the dragon's chest surrounded by a red glow.

"No, my dragon! What have you done?" said a terrified Kaiba.

"Since my Mammoth Graveyard is an undead type monster, he can't properly fuse with your living Ultimate Dragon. Instead it causes your monster to rot and decay from inside out!" answered the spirit, not hiding the fact that he savored every second of it. "Each turn it loses attack points until your creature is no more!"

* * *

The spirit was right. I watched as the dragon started to decay and his points lowering by 1200, the Mammoth Graveyard's attack points, each turn. What surprised me though, was the raw paranoia I saw into Kaiba's eyes. Was he really that desperate to win in a card game?

_"For the first time Yugi, I can duel with fire and passion in my heart! Let me play you for the right reasons." _

That was what he had said before the duel. That there was a reason for him to fight. A reason…

I went a bit closer to him.

"Can't lose…" he mumbled. "The fate of Mokuba's soul lies on this game."

Mokuba's soul… so there really _was _a reason for him to fight. Pegasus had stolen someone from him too!

"Attack now Ultimate Dragon! Neutron Blast!"

The attack was of course a complete failure due to the countless Kuriboh that were on the arena.

"Again? When will you learn?" asked the spirit tauntingly. I glanced at him, to see him smirking arrogantly and there was nothing more that I wanted than to wipe it off his face. "The Kuriboh multiply faster than you can eliminate it with your Neutron Blasts." More Kuriboh appeared on the field.

"No! I will not…_ cannot_ be defeated!"

"I will draw another card and let my Mammoth finish my turn."

The Mammoth Graveyard lowered Ultimate Dragon's attack points even more. Now they were down to 2100. I went at Kaiba's side to see what he would draw next. He didn't bother drawing though and if I had to guess I would say that he was so panicked that he couldn't even think properly. He attacked again, although by now he knew it was futile. All he could do was to wait for the spirit to destroy his monster and end the duel. He was shaking from head to toe. He was terrified. I didn't know who this Mokuba was, but he was obviously very important to him and yet, Pegasus took him away. I was just so… angry at that man. If it was the bloody Puzzle he wanted then he could have the bloody thing and leave us all alone! And what did he want with Kaiba anyway? The bloke didn't have a Millennium Item as far as I could tell. Was there something else to him?

How did he even _dare_ to bugger around with peoples' lives?

"Once again your attack has failed Kaiba! My defense holds and you have no other strategy to use against me!" said the spirit. "Your time is running out." The smirk had turned into the most arrogant grin I had ever seen. Kaiba seemed completely resigned to his fate but the spirit kept making a joke out of him, the same way Kaiba had laughed right at Joey's face the night before. "You should never have challenged me Kaiba! You see? My mammoth takes another 1200 points from your dragon!"

The majestic creature that was standing before us a few turns ago was nothing but rotten flesh that looked like it would fall apart any moment. Its points down to a measly 900.

"Even my weakest monsters can destroy it now!" said the spirit satisfied.

"Shut up!" I screamed and shot an energy blast at him. I was brassed off with his arrogant comments and the way he was rubbing his victory in Kaiba's face. The bloke was barely able to stand and he had someone in that castle that needed him. If the tables were turned, how would the spirit be like right now? Yugi had his friends. Kaiba had no one.

He needed someone and that someone was obviously not gonna be the spirit, Yugi, or anyone else.

And without me he had no one.

* * *

I couldn't leave him alone. I _wouldn't _leave him alone. Ryou would be alright. The spirit wouldn't allow any of Yugi's friends to get hurt. Kaiba needed me more, even if he wasn't aware of it. I wouldn't leave him alone.

The spirit drew a new card and then span the Duel Disk.

"This is it Kaiba! Prepare to meet your demise!" The Kuriboh stood aside to reveal an elf-like warrior posed to attack at the spirit's command. "Celtic Guardian! Attack his Ultimate Dragon!"

The monster jumped and sliced one of the heads off. Kaiba was almost brought down to his knees by that attack. The rest of the gang cheered. Joey asked how was it possible for the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon to still be able to stand and Ryou proceeded to explain that, as the result of the fusion of three different monsters, the dragon should be taken down piece by piece, or in our case, head by head.

Kaiba's Life Points were down to his last 400. He was, as Joey so happily declared, toast. With cheese on top, not only inside.

Suddenly, I felt him straighten his shoulders and a determined expression washed over his face.

"Yugi. It can't end this way. If I don't defeat you in this duel, Pegasus will keep Mokuba prisoner. Forever." he said slowly and then took a few steps backwards. "I can't let that happen. And even though I don't have a card that can keep you from attacking, I think I still had a strategy that will stop you in your tracks."

At that I was taken aback and so was the spirit. "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously, all smugness wiped from his face. At last, may I add.

"I am going to force your hand. And win this battle Yugi." he said and continued to walk backwards. And then I understood what he was about to do.

"You are a nutcase, you know that?" I murmured as he stood at the edge of the roof. If he jumped, it would be no doubt fatal.

"Kaiba! Stop this!" shouted the spirit. His eyes were the size of a planet.

"What's Kaiba up to now? He thinks that with these cheap stunts he will force Yugi to lose the duel and lose the chance to save his Grandpa?" asked Joey disbelievingly. Well, obviously that's exactly what was passing through Kaiba's head. And I knew he was right.

"Go on Yugi. Attack my Blue Eyes again and wipe out my Life Points. But if you do, the resulting shockwaves will cause me to lose my balance."

"Don't tempt me!" the spirit shouted back at him. At that I raised my brow.

Kaiba smirked. "My fate is completely in your hands Yugi. You'll decide this duel one way or another. Of course if you don't surrender I… might get hurt. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me, would you?"

* * *

I looked at Kaiba while Tea and Joey were yelling for him to cut the crap, but I could understand him. He had someone he had failed to protect. This Mokuba bloke… what was he to him? Family? It seemed logical. The chap was brought to his knees by the mere idea that he was not gonna be able to save him. But in that case, weren't there any parents to do it for him? Why did he have to be the one to go through this? And why in all seven hells wasn't he entering the castle along with the rest of us?

"He knows. He's counting on Yugi to surrender." I heard Ryou spelling it out for the gang.

"But… he can't do that! If he loses to Kaiba… he won't get into the castle!" said Joey.

The spirit growled. "I'm warning you Kaiba! Don't push me too far! I _must_ win to rescue my Grandfather!"

"And I must win this duel to rescue Mokuba. The difference is I am willing to risk _anything_ to do it. You know I can stand up here all day Yugi. And I _know_ you won't make any attack for fear it will knock me off. Even though you know that by not attacking, you give up the only chance you have to save your Grandpa." The spirit gritted his teeth. "Which means I have the advantage over you. For in my case there is _nothing_ holding me back." finished Kaiba.

I had to admit that I was impressed. He was pushing all the right buttons in order to make Yugi surrender. Of course, he didn't know that he was not going up against only Yugi, but also a very determined spirit who had nothing to lose.

And right now, this spirit would be the one to decide.

* * *

Kaiba drew a card and then showed it to the spirit.

"Ah, a magic card. Reborn the Monster, which I'll use to resurrect the Blue Eyes head that was just destroyed by your Guardian!"

"What?" asked the spirit stunned. "Restore the head of the Blue Eyes?"

"Now one of my Blue Eyes with its normal attack points of 3000 has just been reborn! With all of your Kuribohs in defense mode, I couldn't touch you, but now that you've put an attack monster on the field I can take out the rest of your Life Points! Which I'll do next turn. Two White Dragon heads are still weakened but the third can wipe out your Guardian in a breath."

That was a sneaky move, but also a risky one. Kaiba was fighting for someone, yes, but Yugi and the spirit did too. The difference between them though, was that one way or another, Yugi would enter the castle. I knew it, because, even if Yugi didn't gather back his star chips on time, Pegasus would find a way for him to come in. He wanted the Millennium Puzzle and Yugi was not leaving this island if he didn't have it and Bob's your uncle.

"Surrender Yugi! That is, unless you have the courage to unleash your attack!" Kaiba egged the spirit on.

I could see the struggling in his face. He didn't know what to do, since attacking meant putting Kaiba through fatal danger. But not attacking either…

* * *

I was mad. Mad at Pegasus for forcing Yugi to make this choice between his Grandpa's soul and Kaiba's life, hated him for forcing Kaiba to put his life on the line to save those he loved, despised him for putting all of us through this. I knew I could kill him if he was anyone else, but he was the owner of a Millennium Item and I knew I couldn't stand up to one, especially if there was a spirit residing inside. From what I had seen so far, I was no match for such a thing.

"Kaiba I've never backed away and I am not starting now!" screamed the spirit suddenly, snatching my attention back to the duel. "Celtic Guardian _attack_!"

I stared in shock as the monster came at us. He had… _attacked_? Knowing that it could kill Kaiba, _he had attacked_?

"Yugi you can't!" screamed Tea, running to him. The Celtic Guardian came closer. "You can't take this risk! _Call him back!_"

It was too late, the Celtic Guardian was too close, I couldn't do anything to help Kaiba…

"Yugi you can't do this, you can't!" screamed Tea again. "_This isn't like you! You got to stop!_ _Yugi please!_"

And before I could comprehend what was going on, the spirit was gone and Yugi was back in control.

"_Stop!_" he screamed and the Celtic Guardian ceased his attack, stopping just a few meters away from the Ultimate Dragon.

He had surrendered the duel, just as Kaiba expected him to do.

And the chance to save his Grandpa had gone down the hole.

* * *

I watched in sadness as Yugi's Life Points reached 0. He was on his knees, crying. Not for losing the duel that would allow him to get a step closer to save his Grandpa, but because of his inability to control the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. Because the spirit would go all the way and attack Kaiba despite his wishes, ignoring the fact that Yugi preferred to lose the most important duel of his life rather than be the cause of harm for someone else, even if that someone else was the bloke that forced him to make that choice.

That kid was too kind-hearted for his own good. It should be illegal to be that kind-hearted.

He was devastated and it was almost heart-breaking to see him like that.

On the other hand, Kaiba was willing to do anything for Mokuba, whoever he was. I understood him, but I also knew that if I was in the sprit's shoes, I wouldn't hesitate even for a second either. I would finish him off without blinking.

Joey, Ryou and Tristan quickly went over to where Yugi was, crying. Kaiba did nothing, only stood there and watched them silently.

Never in my life had I been so torn. I wanted to go by Ryou's side and stay with him and my friends, not go with some creepy bloke that didn't know that I existed! They were what kept me somewhat sane, even after such a short time with them.

I had attacked Ryou, it was true, but I still couldn't deny the fact that things could be far more worse if it weren't for them all.

But then again, to leave Kaiba alone when I could stand next to him… it seemed wrong. I knew that Yugi would come back to his senses sooner or later; it was just how he was. He couldn't give up, now more than ever.

Kaiba however was alone. And I knew that feeling all too well to just stand back and do nothing.

I would go with him inside that bloody castle and when I found the bloody princess I would bloody rip his bloody intestines out and shove them back in through his bloody nose.

* * *

I had never seen Tea so angry. In fact I didn't know she was able to get angry at all. But I had to admit she was right. Kaiba had gotten what he wanted from Yugi and there was no reason for him to try and get his mistake off his shoulders by making it look like it was because of Yugi's weakness. He had bloody cheated and won a chance at saving the one he came to save. He had no bloody _right_ to try and make himself appear strong.

Bloody bastard.

"He spared you!" she shouted at Kaiba's face. "Kaiba he showed you compassion, which is more than you deserve!"

"He lost the game." Kaiba stated calmly.

"Because he would kill you otherwise, you bloody whanker." I murmured.

"The _game_?" asked Tea, narrowing her eyes. "Yugi may have lost a lousy Duel Monsters game, but at least he hasn't lost his _heart_! Not like you Seto Kaiba! You've spent so much time with your machines you forgot what being human is about!"

Seto Kaiba _flinched_.

"Yugi has a heart Kaiba." she continued bringing her hand in front of her chest. "Yugi has _us_. Friends that will stand with him to the end no matter if he wins or loses some lousy game. And what do _you _have Seto Kaiba? _What do you have at the end of the day?_ Tell me! _Tell me!_" she shouted at him, true passion in her eyes. At that moment I felt respect toward this girl, because although she didn't appear like much, her heart was strong enough to put everyone else here to shame.

Especially people like Seto Kaiba. Or like me.

"I have all that I need!" he answered her angrily and turned around and walked to the door that led back inside the castle. I looked back at Ryou one last time and then followed him.

Because he had me as well. I couldn't leave him alone.

But now I had to pay the prize of my choice.

I had to go down all those bloody stairs again! It was what, the fourth time today? Seriously, it's getting rather annoying…

* * *

I had many chances to regret my decision to follow Kaiba in the time it took us to go back to the gates. By the time we got there, I was considering to try and get a piggyback ride out of him. How he could go down all of these stairs so briskly was beyond me…

Kaiba placed the star chips in the special lock in the main entrance to the castle and the gates opened on their own. Could this Pegasus-creep get anymore creepy?

Kaiba went in without hesitating even a moment. Because apparently all doors open on their own in front of him. But you know what? The chap was Seto-bloody-Kaiba. So maybe they do.

"Here goes nothing…" I murmured and then followed him inside.

**A/N: Kind of a filler, I know, but we have to go through these things too. Though I do promise you that next chapter some very interesting things are going to happen… You get a chocolate doughnut for each review! So REVIEW! These things are not for free you know... :)**

**R&R, constructive criticism welcomed, flames used for marshmallows. **


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